The governor of Sudan’s South Kordofan State, Issa Adam Abakar, has announced that citizens will be allowed to move to and from SPLA-N controlled areas as a communal dialogue begins in the state through native administration leaders.

In a press statement in Khartoum, Abakar said he empowered traditional leaders to hold dialogues with their people in the SPLA-North controlled areas.

The state official further said they launched their work along the border areas between the government-controlled areas and SPLA-North-held territories in order to allow smooth movement of citizens between the two sides.

Abakar claimed that security committees in localities will not arrest any citizens moving between the two sides. He noted that some people had celebrated Eid Al Fitr with their families in the rebel-controlled areas and then returned back.

The state governor reiterated his government’s commitment to silence the guns in the state, saying those who are now fighting on both sides are the people of the state and the people of Sudan. “So that loss due to war is a loss for the country,” he said.

He underscored that peace without development and service delivery will never convince the citizens about the importance of peace.