JUBA – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit renewed Juba’s engagement with Sudanese stakeholders on Monday, saying South Sudan remains committed to supporting dialogue and efforts to reach a peaceful resolution to the war in Sudan.
Kiir made the remarks during a meeting in Juba with Darfur Region Governor Minni Arko Minnawi, who is visiting South Sudan for talks on the conflict in Sudan, regional stability and the prospects for renewed political dialogue.
According to South Sudan’s presidency, the meeting reflected Juba’s continued willingness to draw on its historical experience and established relations with Sudanese actors to support dialogue and peaceful efforts to resolve the conflict.
Kiir stressed the deep historical, economic and social ties between the two neighboring countries, saying the fate of Sudan and South Sudan remains closely interconnected.
The meeting comes as Sudanese officials and allied political and armed movements intensify regional diplomacy amid the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which began in April 2023 and has created one of the region’s worst humanitarian and displacement crises.
South Sudan has a direct stake in Sudan’s stability. The two countries share long borders, population movements, trade links and unresolved security files, while South Sudan’s oil exports depend on infrastructure running through Sudan to the Red Sea.
Minnawi said he briefed Kiir on the humanitarian, political and security crisis in Sudan, accusing the RSF of committing violations with ethnic and racial dimensions in Darfur and Kordofan and of seeking to displace local communities. Sudan Now could not independently verify the allegations, and the RSF has previously denied accusations of systematic ethnic targeting.
Minnawi urged South Sudan to play an active role in efforts to stop the war, preserve Sudan’s unity and prevent any plans that could divide the country or dismantle its social fabric.
He also asked South Sudan’s government to send a delegation to Sudan to help address pending issues related to the Juba Peace Agreement, signed in 2020 between Sudan’s transitional government and several armed movements, including Minnawi’s Sudan Liberation Movement.
The agreement remains only partially implemented, with key provisions on security arrangements, reconstruction, compensation, displaced persons and power sharing still unresolved. The current war has further delayed implementation and complicated the role of signatory movements, many of which now fight alongside the army under the Joint Force.
The two sides also discussed the situation of Sudanese nationals in South Sudan and the challenges facing them. Minnawi said Kiir expressed understanding and pledged that his government would work to address their concerns and facilitate procedures for Sudanese who wish to return home.
Minnawi said Sudan does not want an endless war or a peace imposed from outside, but a Sudanese-led peace that preserves the country’s unity and sovereignty, ends civilian suffering and restores security across all regions.
