South Sudan’s Kiir to meet al-Bashir over security matters
April 23, 2017 (JUBA) – South Sudan president, Salva Kiir is seeking an audience with his Sudanese counterpart, Omar al-Bashir to discuss how best plans to strengthen security along their borders could be implemented to enhance bilateral relations between both countries.
Diplomats and a presidential aide involved in these arrangements told Sudan Tribune that the planned meeting of the two leaders will take place after the ministers of foreign affairs, security, internal affairs, defence and justice hold preparatory meeting at the venue to be agreed upon so that they work out a plan for joint security committee, with a timetable to implement the security measures.
It is still unclear when and where the meeting of the leaders will take place, but a preparatory committee is expected to first convene.
This preparatory committee, Sudan Tribune understands, will comprise of legal experts from both sides with African Union help.
The experts, expected to be chosen by the justice ministries from the two countries are expected to meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The preparatory committee, sources further disclosed, will review the progress that has so far been made in the 2012 cooperation agreement on security arrangement, develop mechanisms for handling dissidents threatening the two governments and submit a list of suspected dissidents residing in each other’s territories.
Another separate technical committee of the joint security body will reportedly be formed with a mandate to implement the deployment of a joint border and security force along common borders.
The two countries have been blaming each other for supporting armed anti-government dissidents. Both have denied the claim and relations have been stable. The expected meetings between the ministers and the two leaders are a sign that there could be a thaw.
There have been renewed complaints from senior officials in South Sudanese government, with some alleging that the Sudanese government has continued to provide logistical and military supports to different armed groups fighting with ambitions to remove from power the government of President Kiir.
These officials, concerned about South Sudan’s deteriorating economic situation, fear that a military, political and logistical support from the Sudanese government to dissident groups could facilitate the fall of the government if no immediate diplomatic actions are taken to preempt any key role.
(ST)