By: Mnena Iyorkegh, Abuja
The Nigerian and South African government, have called on the international community to take urgent concrete and practical steps to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Sudan in an inclusive manner.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar and the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr. Ronald Lamola made the call at a meeting on the sidelines of the African Union Executive Council in Accra, Ghana.
In a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir, both Ministers further exchanged views on regional and continental matters including peace and security on the African continent.
In particular, the two countries expressed grave concern at the on-going conflict in Sudan which has resulted in the loss of innocent civilian lives, exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, displaced millions of people, affecting women and children, and led to the total destruction of critical infrastructure.
Both Ministers while advocating for the commencement of a process to expedite access to humanitarian assistance in Sudan, reaffirmed the existing strong historical bilateral relations and bonds of friendship and solidarity between South Africa and Nigeria and committed to redouble their efforts to expand and deepen cooperation in between the two countries in various sectors.
In this regard, the Ministers undertook to finalise preparations for the upcoming session of the Bi-National commission, which is scheduled to take place in South Africa.
