A two-day consultative meeting of the Juba Peace Agreement signatories kicked off in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, on Tuesday.
This comes after an invitation extended to the Sudanese peace signatories by President Salva Kiir. The purpose of this invitation is to discuss and explore avenues to bring an end to the persisting conflict in Sudan.
The Juba Peace Agreement was signed in Juba under the auspices of President Kiir on Oct. 3, 2020, between the Sudanese government and 14 signatories. Chad, the United Arab Emirates and IGAD are the guarantors, while Egypt and Qatar are witnesses to the peace deal.
Speaking during the opening of the consultative meeting, Tut Gatluak Manime, the head of the mediation committee and South Sudan presidential advisor on national security affairs, said the consultative meeting aims to seek a way to resolve the ongoing war, noting that his government supports peace and stability in Sudan.
For his part, the deputy chairperson of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and leader of the SPLM-A faction, Malik Agar, said the ongoing war affects the region, calling on the parties to find a solution through the negotiation table.
“The war in Sudan is affecting the region and Horn of Africa, and ending this war depends on how we can address our internal issues by turning to the table to discuss ways to resolve them,” he said.
Meanwhile, South Sudan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramadan Abdallah Goc, called on the Sudanese parties to listen to the voice of reason and find a peaceful resolution.
“We call on our brothers in Sudan to open their hearts to one another, accept one another, and negotiate in good faith to end the war so that the people of Sudan can have peace,” he said.
Moataz Abdel-Qader, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to South Sudan, stressed his government’s support to the Sudan’s government and people, adding that Egypt opened its doors to the Sudanese following the outbreak of the war in mid-April 2023.
He revealed that the Sudanese refugees in Egypt face some challenges, adding that his government is working to solve those challenges.