South Sudan President Kiir meets Sudan rebel leaders

South Sudan President Salva Kiir met with leaders of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), a coalition of armed movements, in Juba after the meetings in which the SRF chose a new chairman.

Mohamed Zakariya, spokesman for the SRF, said in a statement that the SRF briefed Kiir on the outcome of the meetings of the SRF Leadership Council, in which Dr El Hadi Idris was elected as president, commander Malik Agar as deputy, and Dr Jibril Ibrahim as secretary-general.

The statement quoted Kiir praising the democratic practice that produced the new chairmanship. He stressed his keenness to support peace and stability efforts in Sudan.

Beja Congress

Salva Kiir also received a delegation from the eastern Sudanese Beja Congress, headed by Osama Saeed. They discussed ways to achieve comprehensive peace in Sudan.

According to a statement from the delegation, the leaders of the Beja Congress called on Kiir to support the negotiation process on the Eastern Front.

The Beja Congress is one of the rebel groups at the Eastern Front that signed the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement with Khartoum on 14 October 2006. Apart from political, economic, social, and cultural issues, it covered the disarmament and security arrangements for Eastern Front ex-combatants.

Last month the Beja Congress formed the Kush alliance, together with two other armed movements. The Kush alliance is also known as the United Sudanese National Congress.

Our editorial independence means that we can continue to provide factual updates about political developments to Sudanese and international actors, educate people about how to avoid outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provide a window to the world for those in all corners of Sudan. Support Radio Dabanga for as little as €2.50, the equivalent of a cup of coffee.