South Sudan’s presidential security adviser, Tut Gatluak Manime, met Sudan’s army chief and head of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Khartoum on Wednesday, delivering a message from President Salva Kiir and discussing bilateral ties, regional security and oil cooperation.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Gatluak said he conveyed a message from Kiir on issues of mutual interest, particularly peace and stability, economic cooperation and South Sudan’s oil exports through Sudan.
“President Salva Kiir has invited President Burhan to visit Juba, and he accepted the invitation,” Gatluak said. “The two countries will discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations, regional peace and stability, trade and other areas of cooperation.”
Gatluak said the talks also covered cross-border security, efforts to promote peace in both countries and proposals to establish joint commercial zones along the shared border.
The meeting comes despite recent tensions between the neighbours over the disputed Abyei region.
Earlier this month, Sudan objected after South Sudan’s electoral authorities included Abyei among constituencies for the country’s planned December 2026 general election.
Khartoum said the move violated previous agreements and prejudged the territory’s unresolved status, while Juba said it was consistent with its legal framework and aimed to allow Abyei residents to participate in the vote.
The two countries nevertheless remain economically interdependent. Landlocked South Sudan exports almost all of its crude oil through pipelines running across Sudan to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, while Sudan earns transit and processing fees that provide an important source of revenue.
Gatluak said Kiir and Burhan remain committed to strengthening cooperation based on the longstanding ties between the neighbouring countries.
The meeting in Khartoum was attended by senior Sudanese officials, including intelligence chief Gen. Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal, acting Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Muawiya Osman Khalid, Military Intelligence Director Gen. Mohammed Ali Ahmed Sabir and Sudan’s ambassador to South Sudan, Gen. Issam Mohammed Hassan Karrar.
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