Kiir urges regional leaders to support Sudan peace process
August 27, 2024 (JUBA)- The South Sudan president Salva Kiir has asked regional leaders to continue supporting Sudan’s peace process, stressing the need for African solutions for Africa’s problems.
South Sudan’s minister of foreign affairs minister, Ramadan Mohamed Abdallah Goch told Sudan Tribune that Kiir asked leaders from The East Africa Community (EAC) to continue their efforts and support for the Sudan peace process, amid concerns that the conflict in Sudan is spilling over to other countries in the region.
“His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit is in Nairobi, Kenya, on an official visit. He was invited in his capacity as the chairperson of the East Africa community and president of the Republic of South Sudan to attend the formal launching and unveiling of the candidacy of the former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC). His other colleagues from the region also attended and so his excellency the President used the meeting as an opportunity to ask his colleagues and leaders in the region to continue to support the Sudan peace process”, he said on Tuesday.
Goch said the Kenyan President William Ruto had invited the regional heads of State to grace his grand unveiling of Mr. Odinga. The launch marked the start of Odinga’s official campaigns ahead of the February 2025 elections to replace outgoing chair Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The official launching of the campaign was attended by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni graced the event, signaling strong support for Odinga in the EAC. Also present were Rwanda’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs James Kabarebe and Burundian Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuca.
Other prominent African leaders include former Presidents Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria. Their presence underscored the regional and continental backing for Odinga’s bid. Odinga will be contesting for the AUC post against Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssou, former Mauritius Foreign Minister Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, and Richard James Randriamandrato, a former Madagascar Foreign Minister.
South Sudan has been one of the countries in the region exerting efforts to stop the war in Sudan owing to its economic and political implications on the former.
“It is in the best interests of neighboring countries that Sudan returns to its peaceful transition to democracy, to arrest what is becoming a serious humanitarian crisis”, said Goch
“Sudan is geographically important for countries in north and east Africa. And as you know, Khartoum is where the White and Blue Nile meet to form the Nile River. Prolonged instability in Sudan could create problems for the management of the Nile’s resources, affecting all other 11 countries on the Nile. It is in therefore best interests of the countries in the region to help return Sudan to its path of peaceful transition to democratic governance”, he explained.
Analysts have also cited the presence of Sudan on the Red Sea and that its political and economic instability could negatively affect trade flows through the Suez Canal. That would affect most African countries.
It is also an important transit for thousands of Muslims from other parts of Africa who embark every year on the Hajj to Mecca. Many pilgrims from Sudan and neighboring countries usually travel to Port Sudan and then to Jeddah Islamic port by boat.
The war is a threat to the ability of many of the region’s Muslims to complete this important religious ritual. Many airlines pass through Sudanese airspace on their way to Mecca. The war has already closed Khartoum airport and the country’s airspace remains closed to civilian flights. This is forcing carriers from other parts of Africa to search for other routes which may be more expensive.
Port Sudan is Sudan’s international trade terminal for a regional oil pipeline and a hub that can serve landlocked neighbors. South Sudanese oil, which accounts for 90% of public revenue, travels through the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline via Khartoum to Port Sudan. A peaceful Sudan is critical for economic and social development in South Sudan and the region.
Returning Sudan to its democratic transition can be achieved via a process that uses the offices of regional organizations. These include the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the EAC.
(ST)