Khartoum, Sudan
January 20, 2022 —The government of the Republic of Sudan has distanced itself from the agreement signed by Kitgwang breakaway faction and the SPLM-IG group over the weekend.
This comes less than two days after the legality of the agreement was widely challenged by many political activists, analysts and prominent professors in the country.
In a communique addressed to South Sudan gov’t by Sudanese Embassy in Juba via South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Sudan Embassy in Juba says, the deal reached on Sunday by two sides wasn’t IGAD led process, saying any agreement intended to jeopardize the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement must not be encouraged.
“The Embassy would like to clarify that, the ongoing talks between the delegations of government of the Republic of South Sudan and the SPLM/A-IO (Magenis Faction) in Khartoum was not an IGAD led process as it was published in some news media”, the statement reads.
The Sudan Embassy says the talk was not initiated by IGAD and no invitation extended to the above-mentioned parties.
It adds, the talk was initiated by the parties to the agreement and they only chose Khartoum as their venue.
“The ongoing talks in Khartoum between the parties mentioned above was initiated by the parties themselves and they have agreed to conduct their talks in Khartoum as a venue only”, the statement added.
The government of Sudan says it had accepted to host the parties in Khartoum under conditions listed below:
“First, the government of Sudan supports any effort that could help in the implementation process of the R-ARCSS, and any other efforts that aims to achieve peace in South Sudan.”
By hosting the event, the Sudanese authorities warns that they did not intend to open a new forum of peace talks.
“Secondly, the government of Sudan doesn’t intend to open a new forum of peace talks, or to propose any suggestions or plans to the parties currently in Khartoum regarding their ongoing discussions, and Khartoum is only a venue for their discussions with facilitation of representatives from the government ” , the statement elaborated.
According to the statement, the Sudanese government affirms its position as staunch supporter and mediator of the R-ARCSS and could not in anyway entertain any move meant to jeopardize the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
“.. At the time, the government of Sudan doesn’t and will not support any direction of reopening the R-ARCSS or any part of it for any negotiation between the parties”, Sudan clarified in a statement obtained by Nyamilepedia.
On Sunday the Kitgwang Faction and the SPLM-IG signed a deal in Sudanese capital, Khartoum in which they agreed to fulfill the demands of the breakaway faction of Kitgwang.
