Al Bashir extends helping hand to South Sudan

President Omar Al Bashir says his country will do anything to help South Sudan find peace.(SABC)

Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir has extended a helping hand to South Sudan saying his government will pull out all the stops to ensure that there is a lasting peace and stability in their neighbouring state. 

Al Bashir gave the keynote address at the opening of the Intelligence and Security Services Conference underway in the capital Khartoum.

He says Sudan's national security will not be complete unless there is stability in South Sudan. Intelligence, security officials and experts from across the continent are trying to find lasting solutions to threats facing Africa.

They have been looking into how they could combat terrorism, human trafficking and other forms of organised crime. The conference was opened by Sudanese President, Omar Al Bashir.

“I would like to affirm through this conference that we will spare no efforts in giving all the assistance possible for our refugees from our neighbouring country South Sudan, despite the absence of the assistance coming from the international community," says Bashir.

"We have to maintain the relationship because we are one country"

The security situation in South Sudan featured prominently in his speech. 

"It's our conviction that our national security will not be complete unless we have security and stability in all our neighbours, especially South Sudan and we are hopeful that will get calm, stability and peace in a very short time." 

The announcement has been welcomed by South Sudan intelligence officials. 

"We have to maintain the relationship because we are one country, with the same culture, relationship and we have a common border. We are sharing so many things,” says South Sudan General Intelligence Bureau Dut Chagai.

However, asked why the former Deputy President Riek Machar was in South Africa as a guest of the South African government, Chagai had this to say:

"That one ran away from the country, because he knows what he did. He is now in SA and he had been invited to attend the national dialogue and he declined. What can we do for him?"

Meanwhile, it has also emerged that members of the US intelligence services, the CIA are also attending, a move that has been seen as a softening of diplomatic relations between Sudan and the US since Obama's announcement on the easing of some sanctions against Sudan in January.

President Omar al Bashir extended a hand of friendship to South Sudan saying that the crisis in that country should be resolved urgently and that his country would do everything possible to ensure that there is lasting peace and stability in South Sudan.