South Sudan, FFC to Push Ceasefire Talks
Sudan Events – Sumaya Sayed
The government of South Sudan met with members of Sundan’s civilian coalition, Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), on Tuesday to push for a cessation of hostilities before the start of political negotiations aimed at ending the conflict that erupted on April 15.
Omar El Degeir, the leader of Sudan’s Forces of Freedom and Change, emphasized the need for all political forces in Sudan to agree on democratic governance, a unified army, transitional justice and economic recovery through negotiation.
“We have to resolve problems through negotiations instead of bullets, artillery and warplanes,” El Degeir told journalists after a consultative meeting with South Sudan officials in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.
Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol, the secretary general of the South Sudan mediation committee, said that South Sudan President Salva Kiir initiated consultations and meetings with Sudanese political and civil organizations aimed at resolving the conflict.
During a two-day consultative meeting in Juba on Oct. 23-24, Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Deputy Chairman Malik Agar and members of various opposition parties endorsed Kiir to mediate between the warring factions.
