JUBA – Sudan’s Defence Minister Lt. Gen. Hassan Dawoud Kabroon held talks with South Sudan’s Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Gen. Chol Thon Balok, in Juba on Sunday as part of meetings of the Joint Political and Security Committee between the two countries.
Sudan’s embassy in Juba said Kabroon arrived in the South Sudanese capital at the head of a high-level delegation to take part in the committee’s meetings, which are expected to address political and security issues of mutual concern and ways to strengthen coordination between Khartoum and Juba.
The Sudanese delegation was received at Juba International Airport by South Sudan’s defence minister, Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Santino Deng and several senior military officers, according to the embassy. Kabroon later met Chol Thon at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Bilpam.
The talks come as relations between Sudan and South Sudan remain shaped by unresolved political, security and economic issues dating back to South Sudan’s independence in 2011, including the disputed Abyei area, border security, oil exports, refugee movements and cross-border armed activity.
Abyei remains one of the most sensitive outstanding disputes between the two countries, with its final status unresolved despite interim arrangements and the deployment of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in 2011. The war in Sudan and the presence of armed groups in border areas have further complicated efforts to revive negotiations on the area’s future.
Oil is also central to relations between the two countries. South Sudan depends on Sudanese pipelines, infrastructure and export routes to sell its crude, making security in Sudan and around oil facilities vital for Juba’s economy. Since the outbreak of Sudan’s war in April 2023, securing oil infrastructure and maintaining exports have become key elements of bilateral coordination.
The conflict in Sudan has also placed growing pressure on South Sudan, which has received large numbers of Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees fleeing the fighting. The influx has strained food, health and education services in areas already facing limited resources.
Despite periods of tension over border areas, Abyei and allegations of support for armed groups, Khartoum and Juba have maintained channels of communication because of their shared security and economic interests.
The Joint Political and Security Committee meetings are expected to focus on border stability, oil security, trade, refugee movements and the wider fallout from the war in Sudan, alongside efforts to address long-standing disputes between the two countries.
