State expresses concern over S Sudan, Sudan row

By ATHMAN AMRAN

The Government is concerned with the strained relations between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan, Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Ongeri has said.

The two countries are embroiled in a dispute over oil transhipment levies and other outstanding issues of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

"It is particularly disturbing that the strained relations between the two states have, in fact, resulted in armed confrontation leading to loss of life and destruction of property," Ongeri said yesterday in a press statement.

He said the situation presents a threat to peace and stability not only between the two states, but also to the sub-region.

"It is to be recalled that Kenya has been at the forefront in the search for durable peace in Sudan, first under the framework of the CPA, and lately following the eruption of the current conflict," Ongeri said.

He said this year alone, President Mwai Kibaki has dispatched special envoys on two separate occasions to the two countries to help resolve the conflict peacefully.

Ongeri said Kenya believes that as neighbours with shared culture, history and resources, the two countries have a common destiny and should nurture friendly relations based on mutual understanding and trust, building on the successes of the CPA.

"In order to realise these noble objectives, the two should remain steadfast and continue engaging in the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHLIP) mediation process supplemented by IGAD and the region," Ongeri said.

He said Kenya welcomes and fully supports the proposal for a Sudan/South Sudan Summit meeting, and will continue to support the two sister countries in their efforts to resolve outstanding issues.

At the same time, Plan International has said urgent support is needed to tens of thousands of returning South Sudanese to avert a humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.

The organisation said an estimated 500,000 South Sudanese are still in Sudan, a few days before the April 8 deadline for them to regularise their stay in the north as registered foreigners or leave.

The closing date marks the end of grace period for unrestricted cross-border migration following South Sudan’s independence last July.

"A mass movement of people on the scale of hundreds of thousands could create a serious humanitarian crisis, especially given that South Sudan is already dealing with tribal violence, border conflicts and a food crisis in some areas," Plan’s Country Director in South Sudan, Fikru Abebe said.

Abebe said although the Republic of South Sudan was doing all it could to assist the returnees, the shortage of funds, mobility and sporadic border conflicts were hampering the repatriation and the reintegration process.