The Sudanese government has sought to downplay concerns that a visit by South Sudanese rebel leader Riek Machar to Khartoum could damage relations between Sudan and South Sudan.

A senior Sudanese diplomat told Radio Tamazuj in an interview earlier this week that the visit of the opposition leader to Sudan came at the request of the head of the IGAD mediation, which has facilitated Machar’s visits to IGAD member states Ethiopia and Kenya.

The Sudanese diplomat, who preferred not to be identified by name said, “If his visit will affect relations, should not relations also be affected with Ethiopia, because he visited Ethiopia and met with the Ethiopian prime Minister, and with Kenya since he met the Kenyan president?”

“Do all these visits affect their relations?” the diplomat said.

This comes after North Sudanese papers earlier this week ran comments attributed to South Sudanese officials threatening to shut down oil exports through Sudan, remarks that were later denied by the South Sudanese embassy in Khartoum. 

However, the embassy did say that Sudan’s decision to allow a rebel spokesperson to hold a press conference in Khartoum was a violation of the Cooperation Agreement signed between the two countries in 2012. The agreement forbids use of the media for hostile propaganda.

The rebel spokesman was part of Riek Machar’s advance team sent to Khartoum ahead of his anticipated visit, which was announced weeks ago but has been apparently delayed.

According to the Sudanese diplomat, Machar is also supposed to visit Djibouti, not only Sudan, and he has also already been to Ethiopia and Kenya.

So he stressed that allowing the visit by the South Sudanese rebel leader does not reflect a change in the position of the Sudanese government, which he says is seeking to promote peace in South Sudan.

He said there was nothing secret about the visit, noting Sudan supports the IGAD-led mediation process, under the auspices of which Machar’s visits are taking place. He said the purpose of the visit is for dialogue to share ideas for strengthening the peace process. 

File photo: Riek Machar with Salva Kiir while he was still vice president of South Sudan