Southern Sudan invited to Norway for peace talks

Juba, South Sudan. Foreign Minister Børge Brende and South Sudan President Salva Kiir.Photo: Bibiana Dahle Piene / NTB scanpix

Southern Sudan radio reported that Norway have invited the authorities and opposition of southern Sudan to Norway for peace talks in June.

The Norwegian authorities have promised to help southern Sudan negotiate an agreement in order to achieve peace in the conflicted country, said the Foreign Ministry’s special mission to southern Sudan, Erling Skjønsberg, according to Southern Sudanese Eye Radio station.

Skjønsberg invited Southern Sudan for talks after a meeting with the country’s president, Salva Kiir, in the country’s capital, Juba, on Thursday, according to the radio network.

During the meeting, they discussed the importance of initiating a ceasefire between the two parties. Skjønsberg assured the president that Norway is prepared to help southern Sudan achieve a peace agreement.

Norway is one of the guarantors of the proposed peace agreement, and has organized and contributed toward such reconciliation between warring factions in Southern Sudan for a long time.

In 2017, Norway contributed NOK 135 million toward relief of an acute humanitarian crisis in southern Sudan. The money was given to Norwegian organizations working in the country, the UN and other international bodies.

Almost two weeks ago, the UN announced that the world is now facing its worst humanitarian crisis since 1945. More than 20 million people in Yemen, Somalia, Southern Sudan, and Nigeria, are at risk of starvation if they do not receive help promptly and effectively.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today