South Sudan asks AU for mediation role in Sudan crisis

South Sudan has officially requested to mediate between Sudan's ruling military council and the opposition, Kiir’s office said on Friday.

The president’s spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny told Radio Tamazuj that South Sudan made the request to Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who is the chair of the African Union (AU).

In recent weeks, Ethiopia and the AU have been mediating between the military council and the pro-democracy movement demanding civilian rule. 

Ateny said President Kiir’s adviser for security affairs Tut Galuak met Egypt’s leader and that he delivered a letter from Kiir in which he request to mediate in the political crisis that has followed the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

South Sudan, which wants to be more involved in the peace process in Sudan, is still struggling to implement the September 2018 peace deal mediated by former president Omar al-Bashir.

The official said South Sudan is concerned about the political unrest in neighboring Sudan. “South Sudan’s initiative to mediate in Sudan is based on friendly relations because the parties know President Kiir very well,” he said.

Ateny, who is also the presidential press secretary, said Kiir’s adviser for security affairs met the ruling military council and the opposition in Khartoum.

Meanwhile Information Minister Michael Makuei said President Kiir is qualified to mediate a peaceful resolution in Sudan.

He pointed out that the government of South Sudan is willing to mediate talks between military rulers and opposition parties.

“If there are problems in Sudan, of course that will fuel our own problems, that’s why we are trying to move in,” he said.

There has been no report on AU’s response.

Sudan’s ruling generals have recently urged mediators from the AU and Ethiopia to unify their efforts and come up with a joint proposal on the country’s transition.