Sudans' security committee to discuss accusations of support to rebels in January

December 30, 2014 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and South Sudan foreign ministers Tuesday agreed to hold a meeting of the joint security committee next month to discuss accusations of support to respective rebel groups.

South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Barnaba Marial Benjamin (Photo AP /Alexander Zemlianichenko)

The agreement was announced in Khartoum where the South Sudanese foreign minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin arrived to participate in the celebrations of the 59th anniversary of Sudan’s independence.

"We have agreed to hold a meeting of the security committee in January next year. We hope to meet during the first half of the month to discuss mutual accusations about the presence of rebels of each country in the other country," said Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti in a joint press conference after a meeting held in Khartoum to discuss the recent accusations by Sudanese officials.

Karti further said the two countries will discuss the matter through the agreed channels and not media outlets.

According to the Sudanese top diplomat, the expected meeting will discuss the zero line to operationalise the demilitarised border zone. He added that the accusations of support to rebel groups will not disappear unless the security committee finalise the implementation of the signed deals.

In line with the Cooperation Agreement signed on 27 September 2012, the two country have to establish a buffer zone and to stop support to the rebel groups.

Sudanese defence minister Abdel Rahim Hussein and the director of intelligence and security services Mohamed Atta recently claimed that Juba continues to harbour and support Sudanese rebel groups.

Atta’s threats to hunt the rebels inside the South Sudanese territory triggered violent reaction from the South Sudan army (SPLA) spokesperson Col. Philip Aguer who accused Khartoum of declaring war against his country.

Sudan’s interior minister, Ismat Abdel Rahman, Mondy renewed accusations of support to the Sudanese rebel groups and said they have material evidence to prove these allegations.

From his side, the South Sudanese minister told reporters that his government does not provide any support to the Sudanese rebels and ruled out eruption of a new war between the two countries

The minister further said that the two countries "possess mechanisms to resolve all those security suspicions."

"These suspicions exist on both sides and we are able to overcome it. But that could not lead to war between the two countries at all," he added.

Benjamin said that he is in Khartoum because he is tasked by the South Sudanese president Salva Kiir to participate in the celebrations to mark Sudan’s 59th independence anniversary “because we were part of the Sudan until 2011 and we want to celebrate it together,” he emphasised.

He said he would hand president Omer al-Bashir, on Wednesday, a message from his counterpart Salva Kiir relate to "strengthening relations between the two countries." .

He added that he extended an invitation to Karti to visit Juba to discuss ways to intensify joint efforts to secure Sudan debt relief from external creditors.

Since 2013, the two countries agreed that their foreign ministers coordinate the activities of the different commissions and committees dealing with the implementation of the cooperation agreements and outstanding issues.

(ST)