Kiir’s mediation hinges on IGAD mandate in Sudanese conflict

JUBA – South Sudan has asserted that President Salva Kiir Mayardit is willing to mediate in the Sudanese conflict only if officially mandated by the regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Speaking to journalists during a press conference held at the foreign ministry in Juba on Monday, foreign minister James Pitia Morgan emphasized that Kiir’s involvement in mediation requires formal authorization from IGAD.

The senior government official disclosed that during the recent Saudi-Arab summit, multiple African leaders urged President Kiir to intervene in resolving the Sudanese conflict.

Notable among them were Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki, Djibouti President Ismaïl Omar, and President of Sudan’s Transitional Council Abdelfattah al-Burhan, all of whom advocated for Kiir’s role in mediating the dispute.

“President Salva, being member of IGAD, cannot come and mediate when he is not mandated. Morgan stated. “He can talk bilaterally, but he cannot solve the issue in the name of the region unless mandated.”

He underscored Kiir’s readiness to engage in mediation provided IGAD extends the mandate.

“The people of the region have asked him to do that, but officially he has to be mandated. The region has to make it official. If we had any engagement with the Sudanese, then president will be in the right spot and he will do it,”

“If he is able to solve the Darfur conflict,” Morgan said referring to the Juba Peace Agreement end war between armed movements in Darfur and the government. “then why not in Khartoum?”