UN envoy calls for int'l support for Sudan-South Sudan rapprochement

Photo taken on Oct. 22, 2020 show a view of the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan and the situation in Abyei at the UN headquarters in New York. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

"It is in this context that we welcome the announcement by the United States government on Oct. 20 to initiate the removal of Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list," says Parfait Onanga-Anyanga.

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The UN secretary-general's special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, on Thursday called for more international support for Sudan-South Sudan rapprochement.

The relationship between Sudan and South Sudan continues to strengthen, providing an opportunity for international peace efforts, Onanga-Anyanga told the Security Council in a briefing.

At the beginning of September, Sudan and South Sudan agreed to review all their 2012 cooperation agreements with immediate effect. South Sudan dispatched a high-level mission to Khartoum on Sept. 6 to initiate bilateral discussions, including on the disputed territory of Abyei, he said.

Anna Evstigneeva (Front), deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations and president of the UN Security Council for the month of October, chairs the Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan and the situation in Abyei at the UN headquarters in New York, on Oct. 22, 2020. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

While neither party disclosed the outcomes, there was an understanding that further talks on Abyei would take place alternately in the two countries, he said.

The two countries have continued to develop fruitful cooperation in oil. On Sept. 28, they signed a protocol to resume oil production in the Unity and Toma South fields, with 15,000 barrels per day expected to be produced very soon. The deal includes details on the transfer of crude oil to Sudan for its domestic use. In return, Sudan will provide technical support. The deal is in line with South Sudan's plan to return to its pre-conflict production level of 350,000 barrels per day, he said.

The warm relationships between Sudan and South Sudan provide an opportunity for the international community to strengthen its engagements with both countries as they still grapple with their internal challenges, which have always constrained their bilateral relations, said Onanga-Anyanga.

In South Sudan, the peace process remains deadlocked on several substantive issues on which the parties may need some support to move forward, he noted.

UN Undersecretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix (on the screen) briefs the Security Council meeting on Sudan and South Sudan and the situation in Abyei at the UN headquarters in New York, on Oct. 22, 2020. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

For its part, Sudan has embarked on the right path and demonstrated the political will to resolve its multiple conflicts. Now, more than ever before, Sudan needs support to overcome some of the obstacles that are likely to hinder a smooth transition and the implementation of the peace process.

"It is in this context that we welcome the announcement by the United States government on Oct. 20 to initiate the removal of Sudan from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list," he said.

Nowhere is such support more vital than on the economic front to both advance much-needed reforms and meet the basic needs of the Sudanese people. Without concrete peace dividends, the legitimate aspirations for freedom and shared prosperity of the Sudanese people may be jeopardized, he said.

Onanga-Anyanga said his office will continue to engage with the authorities of both countries and with key regional actors, including the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, to encourage further progress on the implementation of all cooperation agreements and the peace processes in both countries.  ■