The Federal Government has donated $300,000 (or N108,450,000.00) to South Sudan for the unified South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) as part of its contribution toward ending the conflict in that country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this known on Thursday in a statement by Ms Sarah Sanda, Special Assistant Media to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama.
According to Sanda, the Federal Government made the donation through the minister during his two-day special visit to Juba, South Sudan on Nov. 11 and Nov. 12 where he represented President Mohammadu
She said that the donation would be used to purchase food items and medicines for the troops in the Cantonment where the different armies from the African Union (AU) are selected, trained and deployed as SSPDF.
Sanda said that the visit was in partial fulfillment of Nigeria’s obligations as a member of the AU High Level Ad-Hoc Committee (C-5) for South Sudan.
The media aide explained that the visit to Juba was to reaffirm Nigeria’s support for the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
According to her, on arrival at Juba, Onyeama was received by the South Sudanese President, Salva Kiir Mayrdit, after which they held “very robust discussions”.
She said that the status of the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) was discussed during the talks.
She said that in line with diplomatic tradition, Onyeama also held a meeting with Mr Awut Deng, South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
“In a separate meeting with the South Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Awut Deng, the two envoys explored options for the operationalisation of the General Cooperation Agreement signed in Jan. 2019, between Nigeria and South Sudan.
“Onyeama also held a meeting with the Chairman and Leadership of the National Pre-Transitional Committee (NPTC) – the implementing institution for the pre-transitional activities – and signed an MoU relating to establishing lasting peace in the country.
“Earlier, the minister paid respects to the memory of the Founder of Modern South Sudan, Dr John Garang and laid a wreath at the Mausoleum housing his tomb.
“He also visited Rebecca Nyadeng Garang, widow of the late leader and his children at their family home.
“The Minister engaged with the Leadership of the Sudan People Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) led by Dr Riek Machar; the Ambassadors and Representatives of African States based in Juba.
“He received a briefing from the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) – the lead institution for monitoring and evaluating the Peace Process,” Sanda said in the statement.
She added that before departing Juba, Onyeama held a town hall meeting in the Chancery premises with Nigerians living in the country.
