S. Sudan presidential minister invited to Cairo amid Ethiopian-Egyptian dam crisis

July 2, 2020 (SSNN) – South Sudan’s minister for presidential affairs, Nhial Deng Nhial, has been invited to Cairo by the Egyptian foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, according to a statement by the presidency this afternoon.

The invitation was delivered by the Egyptian ambassador to South Sudan, Mohamed Mansur Kadah, who met the country’s minister for presidential affairs, at the statehouse J, on Thursday.

South Sudan, the world’s youngest country and one of the Nile valley countries, is seen by Egypt as a potential ally in the ongoing Egyptian-Ethiopian mega-dam dispute which has threatened to take the two countries to war.

“The message was relayed by the Egyptian Ambassador to South Sudan, H.E. Mohamed Mansur Kadah, as well as an invitation for the Hon. Minister Nhial Deng Nhial to visit Cairo on a date to be agreed,” the South Sudan presidency said in a statement seen by South Sudan News Now.

The meeting between the two officials discussed “the status of implementation of the R-ARCSS, where the Egyptian ambassador presented his congratulations on the progress achieved lately with respect to sharing state governance and nomination of most governors, expressed hope that this positive momentum would be sustained in the path ahead and assured Hon. Minister of Egypt’s firm support to the efforts underway to consolidate peace and stability in South Sudan.”

They also discussed “bilateral relations, including an exchange of high-level visits and projects underway in the areas of health, transport, and energy, as well as projects in the pipeline in the areas of agriculture, petroleum, tourism, and water resources.”

“Lastly, the two sides discussed regional developments, where the ambassador briefed the Hon. Minister of the GERD dam crisis and the two sides expressed hope to reach a win-win solution under the auspices of the African Union, in accordance with the principle of amicable international relations and the established rules of international law.”