Egyptian ambassador in South Sudan discusses cooperation with minister of presidential affairs

CAIRO – 15 April 2021: Egyptian Ambassador to Juba Mohamed Kadeh met with Barnaba Marial Benjamin, minister of South Sudanese presidential affairs, on Wednesday to discuss furthering cooperation and regional issues.

The meeting comes as Benjamin, former foreign affairs minister, newly holds the office amid joint efforts to develop relations.

Kadeh and Benjamin tackled political, economic and social ties, where the ambassador emphasized Egypt’s support to the South Sudanese people, the ongoing peace treaty, and the reconstruction and development of the country.

For his part, Benjamin said he appreciated the Egyptian role, the recent boom in relations and the exchange of high-profile visits.

The two officials exchanged views on regional and international issues and agreed on continuing close coordination.

Earlier in April, Egyptian minister of agriculture visited his South Sudanese counterpart to discuss wide-scale cooperation in their fields.

In Juba, Minister Assayed al-Qasir of Egypt and Agriculture Minister Josephine Joseph and Animal Resources and Fisheries Minister Onyoti Adigo of South Sudan continued talks that began in Cairo in November.

Qasir said the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education will soon provide scholarships for South Sudanese students to study at the faculties of agriculture in Egypt, and a joint agricultural committee has been formed to follow up with implementing what has been agreed in a memorandum of understanding to establish an integrated farm in South Sudan.

In November, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi visited South Sudan, where he met with his counterpart Salva Kiir. The two African leaders agreed on several levels of cooperation, especially economically.