Khartoum and Juba resume negotiations

Sudan and South Sudan have resumed their negotiations to complete the talks the two countries had started in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in October. Sudan urged South Sudan to withdraw their army in the north of the country. A clear demarcation of the borders is also being discussed, as well as Juba’s affiliation with a militant group, the north’s Public Movement, which regularly clashes with the Sudanese army in the Blue Nile and Kordofan areas. The spokesperson for Juba’s government, Barnabas Benjamin, expressed his country’s willingness to build a strong relationship with Khartoum. South Sudan will honour its commitment, he said, but he added that it was too early to assess the potential success of the current negotiations. Hassan Imam, a member of the Sudanese Omah Party, said that South Sudan’s separation fron the rest of the country was not a solution. It only fuels the crisis between Juba and Khartoum, the politician said.   Imam criticised the Sudanese government’a approach to the issue since signing the Naivasha Agreement in 2005. This move led to the current crisis, he said. The politician insisted that all parties must join the dialogue as the issues will not be solved through bilateral negotiations. On the other hand, Sudanese politician Ibrahim Nayel Idam blamed the parties who benefit from the current conflicts. We need to implement a ceasefire to allow the Sudanese people from the Nubba Mountains and the Blue Nile areas to return to their homeland, he said. Idam believes the current talks have the potential to reach their objectives, urging all parties to prioritise security and stability. He added that there is an opportunity for the current negotiations to achieve their objectives, demanding the different parties to give priority to achieving security and stability. He demanded Sudan’s ruling party to intensify their efforts to draft plans to execute the Addis Ababa agreement.