Egypt says ready to enhance security in South Sudan

February 20, 2018 (CAIRO) – The Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday expressed his country’s readiness to expend all efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in war-torn South Sudan.

Al-Sisi’s assurance came during a meeting he held with the South Sudanese Minister for the Presidency, Mayiik Deng in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukri and the acting director of General Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel attended the meeting.

The Egyptian President, his office said, also received a message from his South Sudan counterpart, Salva Kiir in which he “stressed on the distinguished relations between the two countries and South Sudan keenness to develop them and push them forward at all levels”.

“In it, Kiir expressed appreciation to Egypt’s role to maintain stability in South Sudan, in light of historic relations binding both countries,” a statement by Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady noted.

In November last year, Egypt sponsored the signing of a declaration for the unification of two different factions of the South Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). The declaration, which supports peace efforts to end the dispute between the rival factions and stipulates the return of refugees displaced by conflict, was signed under the auspices of Al-Sisi and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni.

Egypt was one of the countries that recognized South Sudan’s independence from Sudan after a self-determination referendum held in January 2011.

(ST)