Jonathan mediates between Sudan, South Sudan rift

As part of his reconciliation initiatives between the two warring nations of Sudan and South Sudan, President Goodluck Jonathan has held a close door meetings with the Presidents of the two countries at different times in separate locations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Capital.

Although the detailed discussions President Jonathan had with the South Sudan President, Salva Kiir Mayanditt and the Sudan President, Umar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir were not disclosed, a close source however confirmed that the meeting centered on brokering peace between the two neighbour nations.

While the  meeting with South Sudan President  took place at the Presidential street of the Sheraton Hotels, that of with Sudan President took place at the VIP floor of the same hotel. The meeting which took place on Saturday night was the first official assignment of President Jonathan on arrival from Abuja for the 20th African Union Summit currently going on in Addis Ababa.

President Jonathan who was brief in responding to Journalists’ probing questions on the agenda of the meeting shortly after meeting with President of Sudan, confirmed however,  that it was centered on finding peace between the two nations. According to him, “we are here for discussions to solve the problems between Sudan and South Sudan. Discussions will continue, thank you.”

Prior to the meeting in Addis Ababa, the Presidents of Sudan and South Sudan had respectively sent their envoys to meet with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. They had solicited Nigeria’s intervention in resolving the crisis between the two countries during the ongoing AU meeting.

It was learnt that Saturday night’s meeting with President Jonathan was a prelude to an enlarged meeting of African heads of state who are billed to meet for finding solution to the crisis between the two countries.