President Salva Kiir and the Japanese Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa meet in Juba. Friday, May 13, 2023. | Photo: MFA&IC

The Japanese Envoy for the Horn of Africa and President Kiir discussed the situation in neighboring Sudan and the humanitarian crisis that has spilled over to South Sudan.

Shumizu Shinsuke, who visited South Sudan for the first time on Friday, said his government will support IGAD efforts led by President Kiir in negotiating a ceasefire between the Sudanese warring parties.

The Special Envoy of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also said Tokyo will provide aid to the refugees and returnees pouring into South Sudan.

“Japan is willing to contribute to this issue in consultation and coordination with the Sudanese government. Today, we agreed on the need to press for a ceasefire and the realization of humanitarian assistance, and political settlement,” Shinzuke said on state television SSBC on Friday.

“We also discussed the issue of returnees from Sudan to South Sudan and we informed the president of the Japanese government’s intention to support the South Sudanese government’s efforts to alleviate this issue.”

South Sudan is grappling with the dire humanitarian situation caused by the influx of tens of thousands of returnees and refugees fleeing the bitter fighting in Sudan.

The government on Thursday announced the donation of $15 million to the World Food Programme to respond to the crisis.

On his part, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Deng Dau Deng said President Kiir briefed the Japanese envoy on the events in Sudan starting from April 15, 2023.

“His Excellency President Salva gave the special envoy a real picture of what is happening in Sudan, and he assured the special envoy that South Sudan is very committed to seeing to it that Sudan gets back to peace because stability in Sudan is stability in South Sudan.”

The regional bloc IGAD has been negotiating numerous ceasefire agreements, but fighting has persisted between the army led by General Fatah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Currently, the warring generals in Sudan have accepted pre-negotiation talks mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia in the coastal Gulf city of Jeddah.

Representatives of President Abdal Fatah al-burhan and General Mohamed Dagalo signed a commitment to protect civilians and guarantee the safe passage of humanitarian aid on Thursday, according to the mediators.

A U.S. official said a proposal on the table would establish a new 10-day truce, which would lead, in turn, to negotiations on a longer-term end to fighting.