Published on : 19/07/2022 – 10:04Modified : 19/07/2022 – 10:06
Returning from Lusaka, Zambia, the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, made a stopover for a few hours in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, this Monday, July 18. He met his South Sudanese counterpart, President Salva Kiir, and officially inaugurated bilateral relations between Senegal and South Sudan. Macky Sall, who chairs the African Union, wanted to express the continent’s solidarity with South Sudan, where the peace process started in 2018 is in difficulty.
With our correspondent in Juba, Florence Miettaux
At the end of the meeting with his Senegalese counterpart, President Salva Kiir made a point of recalling the links “ historical and anthropological between the peoples of Senegal and South Sudan: The great researcher Cheikh Anta Diop demonstrated this connection by documenting linguistic similarities between Senegalese and other Africans, and their common roots near the Nile, dating back to the ancient kingdom of Kush, located in present-day South Sudan. The bilateral relationship established today between the Government of South Sudan and Senegal revives these ties and invites us to deepen cultural and economic exchanges and political cooperation. »
Support following American criticism
Also relevant to many affinities and convergences ” between the two countries, Macky Sall wanted to express his ” availablity and that of the African Union to help the South Sudanese leaders move forward in the peace process: It is a visit of friendship and brotherhood, because Africa is our common continent. We must remain united, especially with regard to brotherly countries which are having temporary difficulties. I have come to encourage you to work to consolidate the peace process in your country ».
This show of support from the head of the African Union comes as, on July 15, the United States stopped funding the bodies implementing the peace process in South Sudan, decrying ” the lack of political will of the leaders ».
►Also read: In South Sudan, return of the opposition in the implementation of the agreement for a unified army
