Updated at 1:50pm, Nov 5, 2014(PST)
Nov 4, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — South Sudan president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, collapsed today on Tuesday, in the capital of the neighboring Sudan while visiting president Omar Hassan el Bashir to discuss a number of contentious issues affecting the two governments.
According to eye witnesses, the president fainted after alighting the plane, allegedly due to high level of stress and exhaustion. The office of South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs downplays the seriousness of the incident.
A government official, who did not want to be named due to fear of reprisal confirmed the incident but objects to releasing any “sensitive” information.
“Yes, it is true; President Kiir collapsed at Sudanese airport, but I am not giving you any more details at the moment”, the official told SSNA.
Sources from Khartoum, confirmed that the Sudanese Security Intelligences seized the cameras of journalists who witnessed the incident and further warned against its coverage.
According to medical sources, fainting episode could be completely harmless and of no significance, however, it can be a symptom of a serious disorder.
The South Sudanese President has collapsed a multiple times in the past one year. In November, 2013, the President collapsed in the neighboring Kenya on a similar visit. Salva Kiir was rushed to South Africa for further treatment, where he spent a few days.
Although the president recovered, the then Pres Secretary lost his job to one of his critics, Ateny Wek Ateny, who believes that the then spokesman released sensitive information that could harm the president.
Ateny Wek, who has been a hard critic of Salva Kiir government, landed his first ,”Grade 1,Super Class”, job as the presidential spokesman a fortnight before the ongoing conflict began in Juba.
Tough Issues to Address:
According to Ateny Wek Ateny, Salva Kiir is visiting his counterpart in Khartoum to address the alleged ties between the Sudanese government and the South Sudanese rebels, Nile-Water Sharing, recent bombing in Raja County, border security, Abyei inclusion in Sudanese election, among other issues that flares the bilateral relations between the two countries.
“The president is going to discuss many issues, including the expediting of the Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement,” Ateny Wek Ateny told Anadolu Agency in Juba.
The Nile Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement, commonly recognized as Entebbe Agreement was signed in 2010 by Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Sudan, Egypt and Burundi declined to sign the agreement, however, Burundi later joined the agreement in 2011.
Sudan and Egypt hold on the colonial-era water-sharing treaty, which gives the two countries an upper hand. The two treaties are on test to resolve the regional differences, mainly between Egypt and Ethiopia, in regard to Ethiopian Grand Renaissance dam project.
Salva Kiir administration, which recently signed a military cooperation with Egypt, sees possibilities of utilizing the water-sharing treaties to ease hostilities between the two Sudans.
“He will be expecting Khartoum to discuss this,” Ateny said.
On the other hand, Salva Kiir government is concerned that the armed opposition under the former Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, gets military support from Bashir’s government.
“President Kiir will also discuss the issue of border security with al-Bashir,” Ateny said.
“As you know, the two parties have been accusing each other of harboring rebels.” the spokesman continued.
In August, an American historian, Eric Reeves, alleged that members of Sudan government held consensuses in a high profile meeting to support the South Sudanese rebels.
Ateny Wek believes that the former Governor of Unity State, Taban Deng Gai, who was sacked in a controversial decree by Salva Kiir last year, has been in Heglig lately to organize the recent recapture of Bentiu town by the rebels.
Ateny attests that such must be discussed with President Bashir.
“Taba Deng Gai has been in Heglig masterminding and planning the recent attack in Bentiu and the oil areas, so the president will table this for discussion,” Ateny said.
The spokesman further reiterates that the president must also discussed the recent attack in Raja County with the Sudanese president.
“Recently in Raga County there was bombing by planes conducted by Sudan army,” he claimed. “This is also going to be raised by our president.”
Ateny pledges that the South Sudanese leader will not return home without tackling the issue of Abyei.
“According to the dossier, the issue of Abyei will also be discussed,” said the presidential spokesman.
South Sudan government objected to organize Abyei Referendum as constituted in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2013.
Although the local administration of Abyei committed to lead the referendum process, in which over 98% voted in favor of joining the South, the Minister of Information and Broadcating, Micheal Makuei Lueth, banned any reporting of Abyei issues on the state owned television.
The government refused to recognize the referendum results, citing possible spillover into security issues and cooperate agreements between the two countries.
The spokesman, Ateny Wek, believes that the two presidents will find solutions to these immediate issues.
“The two presidents will devise mechanisms to rise above the issues that the two countries face between them,” Ateny told AA.
The counterparts have accused each other for the last few years of harboring and supporting the rebels to destabilize the leadership of one another, however, quick fix to restore confidence remains a challenge.
Cooperate agreements, border issues and other deals have been negotiated and signed to neutralize hostilities. Despite, random bombings and border raids remained!
Four factions of Sudanese rebels and rivaling states like Uganda contribute significantly to sustaining Salva Kiir’s leadership in the South.
South Sudan conflict began in December last years, however, it continues to escalate in the region of Upper Nile. Peace talks in the Ethiopia are ongoing, however, there is little hopes that a breakthrough could be reached soon.
The conflict, which is sparked by gross human rights violations, war crimes and crime against humanity, has displaced over 1.8 millions population and killed tens of thousands within the last 10 months.
