September 8, 2020 (JUBA) - South Sudanese President Salva Kiir advised the Sudanese armed groups to stick to the peace agreement and pledged to exert the needed efforts to ensure its implementation.

Kiir met with a delegation of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) leadership headed by Hadi Idris at the State House on Tuesday to discussed the upcoming final signing of the Sudan Peace Agreement on 2 October.

Speaking to Sudan Tribune after the meeting, Idris praised the efforts made by President Kiir to ensure the success of the peace process before to add that he strongly advised them to stick to the peace accord.

"The President advised us to stick to the agreement because it will lead to achieving peace and stability in Sudan," said the SRF leader adding that Kiir pledged to guarantee the agreement and to intervene to back its implementation whenever it is needed.

He further said that Kiir vowed to work for achieving peace in Sudan and to encourage the SPLM-N leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu to resume talks and to negotiate an agreement to end the war in South Kordofan.

On 3 September, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, and al-Hilu agreed to hold consultative meetings on the relationship between religion and the state, before to resume peace talks.

Hamdok, by doing so, accepted to negotiate the sensitive issue in the peace process before the constitutional conference but at the same time, al-Hilu abandoned his call for a secular state.

Idris said they discussed bilateral relations between "the two brotherly countries" and raised the need to expedite the implementation of the four freedoms agreement and to open the border to allow free circulation of persons and goods.

"We also asked him to accompany the SRF delegation when we return from Juba to Khartoum next month," he said.

The leader of the armed groups’ alliance said they plan to travel to the neighbouring countries that supported the peace process, including Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, Chad and Kenya to thank them for their efforts for peace in Sudan.

Asked by Sudan Tribune if a date has been set for their return to Khartoum, Idris said an advance delegation will travel first and the date will be determined accordingly in coordination with the government.

(ST)