Kiir tells Sudan’s conflicting parties to embrace dialogue

JUBA – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has urged the conflicting parties in Sudan to use dialogue, describing it as the only viable option to resolve the ongoing political dispute.

The Presidential Affairs Minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin said the South Sudanese leader telephoned both the Sudanese Prime Minister, Abdallah Hamdok and the head of the Transitional Military Council, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on Tuesday.

Kiir, the minister disclosed, also spoke with regional leaders, including Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to solicit views on the situation in neighbouring Sudan.

“His Excellency General Salva Kiir Mayardit is very concerned about developments in Sudan and expressed this concern to his brother Gen Burhan and Prime Minister Hamdok.  He asked him to ensure the safety of his brothers and spoke to some of the leaders in the region. He spoke to his brother President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and his brother al- Sisi, President of Egypt whom he asked to speak to all political leaders in Sudan to use dialogue,” said Marial.

On October 25, al-Burhan dissolved the joint civilian-military transitional authority and announced the restoration of the transitional military council ahead of general elections earmarked for July 2023.

The military takeover triggered protests in Sudan and sparked global concern and pressure on the junta to release detained officials and reinstate the civilian-led authority.

On Wednesday this week, however, the African Union Peace and Security Council said it had resolved “to suspend, with immediate effect, the participation of the Republic of Sudan in all AU activities until the effective restoration of the civilian-led Transitional Authority”.

The Council also dispatched a delegation to broker an amicable solution to the current political stalemate between parties in Sudan.

Separately, South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued a statement in which it expressed fears that South Sudanese nationals in Sudan could become victims of the situation.

The ministry advised its nationals to stay away from street protests and stay at home until such time when the situation has improved.

Several media reports indicate the junta has imposed restrictions on movement of people following the arrest of the Sudanese Prime Minister who was on Tuesday released after global pressure.

It, however, remains unclear when authorities will lift these restrictions.