Oct 13, 2014(Nyamilepedia) — According to South Sudan’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Mawein Makol, the South Sudanese leader, Salva Kiir Mayardiit, will travel to Khartoum to meet president Omar Hassan el Bashir.
The decision surfaced after a series of serious allegations that the Sudanese Government supports the South Sudanese rebels.
While the Salva Kiir’s government admits ties with the four rebels factions that fight for regime change in Sudan, Sudanese government denies ties with Dr. Machar’s SPLM faction.
According to Mawien, Salva Kiir will travel to Khartoum in the “coming days” to discuss the bilateral relations, cooperate agreements, and to further denounce the alleged supports to SPLM/SPLA (in Opposition).
An American historian, Dr. Eric Reeve, who writes intensively about the former Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar, South Sudan and Sudan governments, released speculative reports last month, alleging that the Sudanese vice President and top military officials met on August 31st to approve military aid to South Sudanese rebels.
According to Reeve, who quoted the first Lt. Gen. Hashim Abdalla Mohammed, the NIF regime has decided to balance the powers in South Sudan conflict to minimize possible threats of the southern sponsored regime change in Khartoum.
“We must change the balance of forces in South Sudan. Riak, Taban and Dhieu Mathok came and requested support in the areas of training in [Military Intelligence], and especially in Tanks and artillery. They requested armament also. They want to be given advanced weapons. Our reply was that we have no objection, provided that we agree on a common objective. Then we train and supply with the required weapons. For sure we will benefit from their discourse. Taban apologized for the support he rendered to Darfurian movements and the role he played in Hijliij battle. That Dinka used them in that battle to spoil their relation with the North. But they discovered the mistake of late.” (1st Lt. Gen. Hashim Abdalla Mohammed, Chief of Joint General Staff, page 16)
South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July 2011 following over five decades of civil war. However, before its independent the South Sudanese leader, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the Sudan’s first Vice President and the president of the Government of South Sudan(GOSS) met a controversial death in president Museveni’s presidential jet, three weeks after taking an oath of office in Khartoum.
Upon the death of Dr. Mabior, the South Sudan’s current leader, Salva Kiir Mayardiit, who was then the Deputy Chairman ascent to power.
Salva Kiir, who ran in the Southern sector’s presidential election of the Sudanese’s 2010 election was later approved in 2011 by the ruling party, SPLM, to lead the country into its first official election in 2015.
Sources from within the South Sudanese embassy in Khartoum allege that the South Sudanese president visited the northern neighbor less than six times during the six years period of CPA implementation, however, the president has maintained glaring relations with his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni.
Uganda became the first country to join the South Sudanese conflict in December 2013, deploying thousands of troops with intent to quilt rebellion and capture the South Sudan’s former vice president, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, within “four days”.
Despite that the conflict has claim thousand of lives, Uganda has remain in the conflict. Latest reports allege that Uganda is currently recruiting over 3,000 members into UPDF to join the conflict.
The NIF government, which has history of political grudges with Uganda for supporting the Sudanese rebels and sheltering the disgruntled Sudanese politicians, has issued a series of reports urging Uganda to withdraw from South Sudan conflict. However, the Salva Kiir’s government, believing in the important roles played by the Ugandan army, has recently signed a military deal to continue deploying the UPDF in the war-torn South Sudan.
President Salva Kiir visits Uganda frequently. The presidents met last week in Entebe to discuss a security bill that was passed in Juba by approximately 25% of the parliament.
Salva Kiir, who was to visit Egypt this month, may visit Cairo in November. The dates to visit both Khartoum and Cairo are yet to be confirmed.
Abyei’s Status
The meeting between Bashir and Southern counterpart is expected to discuss Abyei’s status. The oil rich region of Abyei held its elections in October 2013 as scheduled during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement(CPA), however, the leaders of the two countries declined to acknowledge the results.
Abyei overwhelmingly voted, over 98%, in favor of joining South Sudan, however, the Salva Kiir’s regime declined to acknowledge the process.
Sources from Khartoum reiterates that Abyei is included to take part in the upcoming Sudanese election as a constituent of Sudan, a decision that has been widely criticized by Abyei sons in South Sudan SPLM’s factions.
According to Deng Alor, a member of the SPLM ‘former political detainees’, any inclusion of Abyei in the Sudanese 2015 election is a mere propaganda.
Alor terms its “inappropriate” to include a territory that has been ruled by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a “Dinka territory” in the upcoming Sudanese election.
Abyei has been under the protection of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei(UNISFA), mostly from Ethiopia, until May 2014.
The Mandate which required the Sudanese and South Sudanese forces to withdraw from the area expired in May 2014, however, the United Nations Security Council renewed the mandates until next tomorrow, October 15, 2014.
The expiry of the UNISFA’s mandate has been received among the Ngok Dinka with mixed feelings. While many politicians and local administrators, including the chiefs, believes that the UNISFA (Ethiopia forces) should leave the oil rich region when the mandates expires, others believe that security situation of Abyei may worsen, and therefore UNISFA should stay.
Although the meeting between Salva Kiir and Omar el Bashir may discuss the status of Abyei, least is expected to be achieved in terms of security and UNISFA mandates.
UNISFA’s Force spokesman Daniel Odekera recently reiterates that UNISFA is not responsible for the cattle raids and inter-tribal feuds between the Ngok Dinka and the nomadic Messiria tribe from Sudan’s Western Kordofan.
