Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, plans to visit South Sudan’s capital next week, according to a press statement from South Sudan’s office of the president.

South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, reportedly invited Bashir to Juba during a phone conversation following the signing of the implementation matrix which finally put into practice a cooperation agreement signed by the two countries last September.

Accepting the invitation, Bashir expressed his readiness to visit Juba as soon as possible, something he has not done since South Sudan became independent on July 9^th 2011.

The move demonstrates significant progress in relations between the two countries who each had a strong military presence along their shared border until the matrix was struck last month.

File photo: Salva Kiir (L) and Omar al-Bashir