Africa-Press – South-Sudan. South Sudan mediation team hasreturned to Juba from Khartoum after days of ‘intensive talks’ with theSudanese military authorities following the October military takeover.
The team led by the Presidential Advisoron National Security, Tut Gatluak Manime in the company of the Minister ofForeign Affairs and International Cooperation, MayiikAyii Deng among otherofficials, has been meeting the leaders of the coupand thedetained civilianofficials of the deposed government since last week.
“This morning the media team ledby Presidential Advisor on National Security, Tut GatluakManime together withthe Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,MayiikAyii Deng returnedhome from Khartoum after several days of intensive talks with the Sudanese inan effort to address the political tension in Sudan,” read the statement postedon the page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperationyesterday.
On October 25, 2021, Sudanesemilitary components of the transitionalgovernment- formed after the ouster ofthe longtime President Omar Hassan Al Bashir- detained civilian politicians includingPrime Minister Abdallah Hamdok as the junta led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolvedtheinterimgovernment in a coup.
The political developmentssentshockwaves across the region as neighbouring countries – including South Sudan thatshareeconomic ties with the Sudan- expressed deep concerns over the uncertaintycreated by sudden political changes.
In the statement, the ForeignAffairs Ministry said the mediation team urged the detained Sudanese civilian politiciansto open to dialogue to end the tensionin the northern African country.
“Particularly, the mediation teammet with the political detainees’ yesterday evening at the detention facilityin Khartoum shortly before some of them were released.
“As part of the engagement togenerate consensus among the political leaders, the mediation team shared viewswith detainees and urged them to be opened for dialogue so as to resolve thepolitical impasse in the country,” the statement affirmed.
Last year, South Sudan successfullymediated the Juba Peace Agreement between the now deposed Sudanese transitionalgovernment and arms groups in the Darfur, Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountainsthatbecame part of the transitional government.
South Sudan uses the Sudanesepipeline to transport its crude oil throughPort Sudan, bordering the Red Sea tothe world market. Oil proceeds contribute up to 90% of South Sudan revenues.
The two countries were also set toresume border trade for the first time since 2011 when Sudan closed its borderswith South Sudan as relationsdeterioratedover the oil-rich border area ofPanthou.
The coup has now setback the borderreopening that would have brought economic benefits such as job creation andfood security to the border communities of the two countries as they interactin trade.
Amid mounting pressure from the regionand the international community to set free political detainees and restore thetransitional government, the Sudanese military leadership on Thursday released fourformer ministers of the ousted governmentaccording to the SUNAnews agency.
General al-Burhan was also quoted on Friday as agreeing “on theneed to maintain the path of the democratic transition,the need to complete the structures of the transitional government and to speedup the formation of the government” after he spoke on the phone with USSecretary of State Antony Blinken.
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