Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The Federal Government, has donated the sum of $300,000 to the Republic of South Sudan.
The sum, according to Sarah Sanda, media aide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, is meant for food items and medicines for troops in the cantonment sites.
Sanda added that the donation was an essential condition for the completeness of the security arrangements as provided in Chapter II of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
She disclosed that Onyeama made the donation while in South Sudan as special envoy of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The visit, Sanda added, was in partial fulfilment of Nigeria’s obligations as a Member of the African Union High Level Ad-Hoc Committee (C-5) for South Sudan and to reaffirm Nigeria’s support to the implementation of R-ARCSS.
“As Special Envoy of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, visited Juba, South Sudan, from Monday, 11 November to Tuesday, 12 November 2019. The visit was in partial fulfillment of Nigeria’s obligations as a Member of the African Union High Level Ad-Hoc Committee (C-5) for South Sudan and to reaffirm Nigeria’s support to the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
“The Honourable Minister was received in audience immediately on arrival by His Excellency, Comrade General Salva Kiir Mayrdit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, and they held very robust discussions on the status of the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
“The Honourable Minister conveyed the goodwill message from His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, including a donation of the sum of Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ($300,000) for food items and medicines for the troops in the Cantonment Sites, a sine qua non for the completeness of the security arrangements as provided in Chapter II of the R-ARCSS,” Sanda said.
Sanda further said in line with diplomatic tradition, Onyeama held a meeting with his counterpart, Honourable Awut Deng, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan.
“They explored the operationalization of the General Cooperation Agreement signed in January 2019, between Nigeria and South Sudan.
“The Honourable Minister 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 thereto signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) relating to the presentation of Three Hundred United States Dollars (US$300,000) as Nigeria’s in-kind contribution to the implementation of the agreement. The in-kind contribution will be applied to the provision of food items and medicines to the cantonment sites where the different armies are being selected, trained and deployed as unified South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF),” Sanda added.
Sanda also said during his stay in South Sudan, Onyeama honoured the memory of the Founder/Hero of Modern South Sudan, Dr. John Garang.
“He laid a wreath at the John Garang Mausoleum and stopped by the late leader’s house to visit Mama Rebecca Nyadeng Garang, widow of the late leader and his children.
“The Honourable 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; and received a briefing from the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) – the lead Institution for monitoring and evaluating the peace process and finally held a town hall meeting in the chancery premises with the Nigerians in South Sudan,” Sanda also said.
Sanda further disclosed that the minister had since returned to Abuja.