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Remarks of South Sudan Charge’ d’ affaires at the U.S—Africa Policy Working Group Briefing on Sudan
May 25th, 2023 First and foremost, I would like to thank Representative Ilhan Omar for inviting South Sudan Embassy to participate in U.S—Africa Policy Working Group Briefing on Sudan. As you are all aware, Sudan and South Sudan are conjoined twins from the head (Craniopagus). History, geography, sociology, and commerce—and in fact common destiny—have contributed to this reality. The collapse of Sudan threatens the very existence of South Sudan.
Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Sudan on April 15, H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit has been entrusted by the IGAD’s Assembly of Heads of State and Government to engage his Sudanese brothers on ways to end the conflict. It is worth mentioning that President Salva Kiir Mayardit and Gen. Al-Burhan were part of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ Officers corps and have since shared this camaraderie as former comrades in arms. Gen. Dagalo (Hemetti), who later joined forces with SAF, is equally an adorable man whom our President has known and trusted as a peacemaker during his time in Juba negotiating the Juba Peace Agreement.
President Salva Kiir Mayardit considers both Gen. Al-Burhan and Gen. Hemetti as his younger brothers who should keep the professional ethos of the armed forces and should not engage in this deadly war at all.
As the Team leader of IGAD Troika that included Djibouti and Kenya, H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit had several phone calls with Gen. Abdel Fatah Al-Burhan, Chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Councd Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, Leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). President Salva Kiir Mayardit strongly reiterated the position of the IGAD and the international community for both parties to agree to cease the hostilities. Both Gen. Burhan and Gen. Dagalo responded positively by sending their representatives to Juba. It should be noted that the Representatives of both parties, after visiting Juba, accepted the IGAD-led peace initiative to bring peace in the Sudan.
Permanent peace in the Sudan is vital to South Sudan national security and economic interests. For those obvious reasons, H.E. President Salva Kiir Mayardit will continue to play a positive role until a durable and sustainable solution is found. As late Dr. John Garang articulated in the past, the solution to the fundamental problem of the Sudan could only come from the Sudanese themselves. We believe that Sudanese problems could only be cured by Sudanese solutions. As the closest country that shares cultural values with Sudan, South Sudan people believe that a successful mediation to the current conflict in the Sudan requires engagement of all parties with equal measure.
Thank you,
Amb. Gordon Buay Malek
Charge’ d’ affaires, a.i.
South Sudan Embassy
