By William Madouk
A two-day consultative meeting between transitional government of Sudan and leaders of Sudanese political parties has begun in Juba with a call for dialogue.
The meeting, chaired by President Salva Kiir’s advisor for security affairs, Mr. Tut Gatluak, is the first of its kind in six months since the outbreak of war in Sudan.
It drew together fourteen opposition groups, who are signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA).
In his remark, Tut Gatluak, the chairman of the South Sudan Mediation Committee on JPA, said that as a mediation team, they are neutral and doing all they can to bring lasting peace to Sudan.
“We are peacemakers; we don’t have any sides, and our side is security, stability, and peace. We don’t support any particular groups,” said Gatluak.
“We are here today, with all Sudanese political parties of all spectrums, to see how we can salvage Sudan from war and let it attain justifiable peace,” he noted.
Dr. Dhieu Mathok, the Deputy Chairman and Secretary of the South Sudan Mediation Committee, said they will discuss ongoing political turmoil in Sudan and evaluate the implementation of the Juba Peace Agreement.
“We’ll be here for two days, and we will have two main topics that we will discuss with you in a close meeting. One is the current situation in Sudan, and we will hear from you as Sudanese leaders,” said Mathok.
“The second topic will be what Juba [South Sudan] can do together with you to bring sustainable peace but let me remind you to keep your country at heart and mind while we are deliberating,” he added.
He gave the example of South Sudan, which has a bigger transitional government just to compromise for peace.
“Now that we believe that the victims of this extremism are civilians in Sudan, we call on our brothers in Sudan to open hearts to each other, accept each other, and try so that the first beneficiary is Sudanese,” he advised.
Also, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramadan Abdalla Goch, said, “We believe that the search for peace in Sudan is a prophetic goal that we will pursue from time to time. We in South Sudan feel very sad because of what happened now in Sudan.”
Dr. Al-Hadi Idris, a member of the Sudan Sovereign Council, lamented that the six-month war has taken a toll on the Sudanese population.
He urged the parties to deliberate and come up with tangible resolutions.
Egyptian envoy to South Sudan, Mohamed Elmoatez, said that despite the Palestinian issue, the Sudanese matter is still in their hearts, minds, and attentions, adding that they will not condone any intrusion.
“Egypt spares no effort in providing assistance and support in order to restore stability and security to Sudan and preserve the unity of Sudan, whatever it may be,” said Amb. Elmoatez.
“At the same time, [we] do not allow any external interference in Egypt, which increases the crisis, exacerbates the crisis, and increases strife,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gen. Mini Arko Manawi, leader of the Sudanese Liberation Army and the governor of Sudan’s Darfur State, said the longer the war continues, the more it will break the social fabric and worsen the dire humanitarian situation.
He called on the warring parties to ceasefire in order to pave the way for genuine peace talks and fruitful outcomes.
He also hinted that South Sudan is capable of mediating and bringing peace to Sudan.
In February 2023, in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, the Sudanese government and armed struggle movements signed an updated formula to implement the Juba Peace Agreement.
At that time, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, affirmed the Sudanese government’s commitment to working to implement the agreement as amended until peace is achieved.
Al-Burhan said at the signing ceremony of the amended formula that the agreement would allow for broader cooperation and greater coordination between Juba and Khartoum.