The Sudanese minister of foreign affairs, Ali Karti, announced on Monday that there are ongoing consultations between Khartoum and Juba to deploy joint forces to secure oil sites in South Sudan.
Karti, who accompanied President Omar El-Bashir on his visit to South Sudan, noted that Juba is the party that initially proposed the deployment of joint forces.
South Sudan, formed in 2011, is the world’s newest state after gaining independence from Sudan. The current unrest erupted after South Sudanese President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, an accusation the latter denies.
The ensuing conflict has killed more than 1,000 and displaced nearly 200,000.
SOURCE: Al-Sharq