S. Sudan, Ethiopia at diplomatic loggerheads, officials kicked out

Nov 30, 2020 (Thessherald)–South Sudan and neighboring Ethiopia are locked in a diplomatic row over the recent visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the Republic of South Sudan.

Speaking to Thessherald this morning in the capital, Addis Ababa, a South Sudanese diplomat made it clear that they had been given 72 hours to leave the country or risk being expelled from the embassy.

“Without following due process, the Prime Minister’s Office through the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given us an ultimatum, informing us to leave the country within 72 hours or face immediate expulsion,“ said a South Sudanese official in an interview with Thessherald.

On Saturday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi paid a one-day visit to South Sudan. According to the Office of the President, the “two leaders agreed on the need to enhance mutual cooperation in areas of education, healthcare, media, energy, trade and investment, and infrastructural connectivity especially with respect to road and rail links.”

“On regional matters, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi commended South Sudan mediation of Sudanese conflict. President Sisi also explained Egypt’s position on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD),” the Office of the President said in a statement.

On his part, President Salva Kiir Mayardit underlined South Sudan’s position on the importance of dialogue in dealing with issues affecting regional stability.

For years, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia have been unable to agree and resolve the GERD dispute despite numerous international attempts for a win-win solution in the region.