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27 August 2024 (Juba) – South Sudanese President Salva Kiir asked regional leaders to continue supporting Sudan’s peace process, stressing that African problems require African solutions.
South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ramadan Mohamed Abdullah Goci told Sudan Tribune that Kiir asked East African Community (EAC) leaders to continue their efforts and support the Sudanese peace process amid concerns that the conflict in Sudan could spread to other countries in the region.
“His Excellency President Salva Kiir Mayardit is on an official visit to Nairobi, Kenya. He was invited in his capacity as the Chairman of the East African Community and President of the Republic of South Sudan to attend the official launch of the candidacy of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission. Other colleagues from the region were also present and therefore His Excellency the President used the opportunity of this meeting to ask his colleagues and leaders from the region to continue to support the Sudanese peace process,” he said on Tuesday.
Gotch said Kenyan President William Ruto had invited regional heads of state to attend Odinga’s grand unveiling, which marks the official launch of his campaign ahead of February 2025 elections to replace outgoing President Moussa Faki Mahamat.
The official launch of the event was attended by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who were also present at the event, showing strong support for Odinga in the East African Community. Also present were Rwandan Deputy Foreign Minister James Kabarebe and Burundian Prime Minister Gervais Ndirakobuka.
Other prominent African leaders included former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. Their presence underscored regional and continental support for Odinga’s candidacy. Odinga will compete against Djibouti Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Yusuf, former Mauritian Foreign Minister Anil Kumasinghe Gayan and former Madagascar Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato for the post of African Union Commission chairperson.
South Sudan is one of the countries in the region working to stop the war in Sudan because of the economic and political impact it has on South Sudan.
“It is in the best interest of Sudan’s neighbors that Sudan resumes a peaceful democratic transition and halts what is turning into a serious humanitarian crisis,” Gotch said.
“Sudan is geographically very important for the countries of North and East Africa. As we all know, Khartoum is the place where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet to form the Nile. Prolonged instability in Sudan could cause problems for the management of the Nile’s resources, affecting the other 11 countries along the Nile. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the countries of the region to help Sudan return to the path of a peaceful transition to democratic governance,” he explained.
Analysts also point out that Sudan is located on the Red Sea and its political and economic instability could negatively affect trade flows through the Suez Canal. This would affect most African countries.
It is also an important transit point for thousands of Muslims from other parts of Africa who go to Mecca for the Hajj every year. Many pilgrims from Sudan and neighboring countries usually go to Port Sudan first and then take a boat to the Jeddah Islamic Port.
The war threatens the ability of many Muslims in the region to perform this important religious ritual. Many airlines fly to Mecca through Sudanese airspace. The war has already closed Khartoum’s airport, and the country’s airspace remains closed to civilian traffic. This has forced airlines from other parts of Africa to find other, potentially more expensive routes.
Port Sudan is the international trade terminal for Sudan’s regional oil pipeline and a hub for serving landlocked neighbours. Oil accounts for 90% of South Sudan’s public revenue and is transported to Port Sudan via the Great Nile Pipeline via Khartoum. Peace in Sudan is vital to the economic and social development of South Sudan and the region.
Sudan’s return to democratic transition can be achieved through processes that draw upon the offices of regional organizations, including the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the East African Community.
(English stone)
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