Sudan, South Africa discuss S.Sudan peace process
October 16, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and South Africa’s Deputy-President David Dabede Mabuza Tuesday have discussed the implementation of South Sudan’s revitalized peace agreement.
In press statements following the meeting, Mabuza said they discussed the significant efforts exerted by Sudan to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement among South Sudan’s warring parties.
He pointed out to the significant progress being made in South Sudan’s peace that was recently hosted by Khartoum under the auspices of the regional bloc IGAD.
Mabuza further underscored his country’s support to efforts of President al-Bashir and the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and other leaders of the region to achieve peace in South Sudan.
The official news agency SUNA reported that the visiting South African senior official met with the First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.
South Africa, together with Tanzania, sought in the past to bring peace in South Sudan through the reunification of the historical Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in what is known as Arusha process which had been concluded by the signing of an agreement on 21 January 2015.
Before his arrival in Khartoum on Monday, Mabuza was in Juba for talks with President Salva Kiir on the implementation of South Sudan revitalized peace agreement.
After Khartoum, he travelled heading to Kampala for a meeting with President Yoweri Museveni on South Sudanese peace implementation.
South Sudan became an independent country on 9 July 2011 after decades of war, lengthy negotiations and a referendum to secede from neighbouring Sudan. Two and a half years later, armed conflict broke out between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those allied to his then deputy Riek Machar.
However, in August 2015, the parties to the conflict signed a peace deal and later formed a transitional unity government with President Kiir at the helm and Machar as one of his two deputies.
Renewed again fighting broke out in July 2016 with heavy clashes in the capital Juba and other parts of the nation forcing Machar to flee.
On September 12, the South Sudanese rebel leader signed a peace agreement with the government aimed at ending a five-year civil war, which killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.