Sisi lauds unity gov’t formation in Juba as he meets S. Sudan’s VP

CAIRO – 4 March 2020: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Wednesday received James Wani Igga, vice president of South Sudan, in Cairo, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement, after the Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) was established in South Sudan last month.

In February, South Sudan’s rival leaders; President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar formed a coalition government, in an effort to end a longstanding conflict that killed hundreds of thousands people. Machar was sworn in as Kiir’s deputy.

During the meeting, which was also attended by chief of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel, Sisi praised the bilateral relations with South Sudan and affirmed Egypt’s keenness to strengthen these ties and foster coordination on the regional and international levels, with the aim of enhancing efforts to achieve security and stability in South Sudan, Egyptian presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

Sisi praised Kiir’s announcement, along with Machar, of the intention to start forming the national unity government in implementation of the decisions of the peace agreement.

For his part, Igga expressed his country's great appreciation for the Egyptian people and leadership, and hailed the continuous development of bilateral relations between Egypt and South Sudan.

During the meeting, Igga reviewed the latest developments of the political situation in South Sudan, praising in this regard the role of Egypt in backing stability in the region and in his sisterly country.

The two leaders also discussed developments of a number of regional issues of common interest, the spokesman said, without revealing further details about the topics.

In July, 2011, South Sudan declared independence in line with a January referendum that was the culmination of a 2005 peace deal ending decades of civil war with the north. In the same month, Egypt formally announced recognizing the country, MENA news agency reported.

In May 2018, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry accompanied South Salva Kiir, on behalf of the Egyptian president, in the inauguration session of the meeting of the National Liberation Council of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Juba.

"The Egyptian participation comes in the framework of continued efforts to achieve peace and stability in South Sudan, as Egypt has voiced support for Kiir's initiative to establish a committee to facilitate the national dialogue," Ahmed Abu Zeid, then Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement.

Abu Zeid said that the invitation reflects the deep relations between Egypt and South Sudan.

With the aim of achieving reunification of the party, the Arusha Agreement was signed by three conflicting factions of the SPLM party in January 2015 in Tanzania. Since 2013, the ruling party in South Sudan, SPLM, has witnessed many conflicts and differences amongst its main leaders and ranks.