By Tesfa-Alem Tekle, JUBA
South Sudan
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed landed in Juba on Monday for talks with President Salva Kiir on bilateral issues amid tensions within South Sudan over the 2018 peace agreement.
Abiy also held discussions
with First Vice President Riek Machar on the challenges hindering the
implementation of the peace deal.
“The two leaders (Kiir and
Abiy) headed the government secretariat where they held a meeting on bilateral
matters with regional dimension including the implementation of the revitalised
peace agreement,” acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, Deng Dau Male, told reporters after the meeting.
“South Sudan values its
historical ties with Ethiopia and appreciates Ethiopian key interest in
restoring peace and stability,” said Mr Male.
Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign
Affairs, who was part of the delegation, Misganu Arega, reiterated his
government’s commitment to supporting Juba to achieve durable peace.
“Ethiopia pleads particular
importance to the peace and stability of South Sudan and stands committed to peaceful
resolution of issues,” said ambassador Misganu.
Abiy was in Juba for a one-day
official visit.
Abiy’s visit to Juba came amid
the latest row between the principals --President Kiir and his deputy Machar --
over the swapping of two key ministerial posts that are part of the 2018 peace
deal, which allocated the portfolio to parties of the agreement.
Mr Kiir and Dr Machar met on
Friday in a bid to resolve the dispute but are yet to conclude the matter.
Peace guarantors, including
the African Union, United Nations and Intergovernmental Authority on
Development (Igad), urged the parties to resolve the latest dispute and
expedite the full implementation of the peace deal.
In a joint statement, they
encouraged “a renewed focus by all signatories to the Revitalised Peace
Agreement as outlined in the roadmap, for its full and timely implementation”
while urging the parties “to maintain collegial collaboration, continuous consultations,
and consensus-building in the letter and spirit of the Revitalised Agreement.”
Early February this year, Pope Francis made a final
appeal for peace in South Sudan as he celebrated Mass before tens of
thousands of people to close out an unusual mission by Christian religious
leaders to nudge forward the country's recovery from civil war.
On the last day of his African
pilgrimage, Francis begged South Sudanese people to lay down their weapons and
forgive one another, presiding over Mass at the country's monument to
independence hero John Garang before an estimated 100,000 people, including the
country's political leadership.
"Even if our hearts bleed for the wrongs we have suffered, let us refuse, once and for all, to repay evil with evil," Francis said. "Let us accept one another and love one another with sincerity and generosity, as God loves us."
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