BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
Today’s guest of The Ethiopian Herald is Honorable Deng Dau Malek, Acting Foreign Affairs Minister of South Sudan. He has explained questions related to his country, bilateral and regional issues. Enjoy reading!
Welcome to Ethiopia. I wish you a pleasant stay here. I would like to say thank you very much for your willingness to provide an interview for The Ethiopian Herald.
Thank you very much. I’m very grateful to be in Addis Ababa and to interact with you. Thank you very much.
The Nile Basin Initiative has devised the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). How is the progress so far?
Well, the Nile Basin Cooperation Agreement is a very important component of how to utilize the source of the Nile waters. And countries in 1999 went into this particular arrangement. And the countries at that time were 10, before South Sudan became a republic. Then, soon after we got our independence, South Sudan joined this particular grouping. And it is very important, I must say, that four countries have already ratified the CFA, and then the remaining countries are also on their way. South Sudan received and presented this Nile Basin comprehensive agreement to the Ministry of Water. It has been presented to the cabinet and is now awaiting the National Assembly.
The Nile basin countries are working to properly utilize their water resources, freeing themselves from colonial mentalities and agreements. How do you see this?
Even ourselves, who got our independence recently, in 2011, also need to discuss all the agreements that were made, for example, the ones made in 1929, 1959. And this is why the Nile basin agreement was drafted so that all the countries in the region should also be beneficiaries of the resource of water in the Nile. And so this is very important. And of course, countries have their own national interests. And of course, as a group, we also need to live together to be able to see how we can benefit from this particular resource together because water passes through countries.
Ethiopia is executing a large-scale forestry or greening campaign under the Green Legacy Initiative. How does your government intend to replicate Ethiopia’s experience in this regard?
This green legacy has been popularized in our region, particularly in Ethiopia. And in most of the visits that have been done where we have seen it, they’re targeting 25 billion seedlings. The Embassy of Ethiopia in Juba has approached our Minister of Environment and Forestry so that they can undertake some of the plant seeds.
This is very useful because we are talking about climate protection and protecting the environment. And so it’s a very useful exercise, which is the green legacy that is the world now is moving to address desertification. So we must be seen to be protecting the degradation of the land.
Your government is playing a big role in mediating between the warring sides in Sudan. How do you think should the member states of the IGAD and AU collaborate in bringing a final solution to the country? What do you think are the challenges and enabling situations to bring peace to Sudan? How do you think should the countries of the region collaborate to fend off foreign pressure and proxy wars by external forces?
It is painful that Sudan got itself into this kind of situation. Sudan is located geographically in a very scientific and strategic location in Africa. Ethiopia and South Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Libya, Chad, and Central Africa—all these countries are neighboring countries to Sudan. And so any small, slight issue that happens in Sudan affects all of us. So it is upon our region to make sure that this particular war is brought to an end quickly.
My President, His Excellency, President Salva Kiir Mayardit, attempted from day one on the 15th of April to reach out to both the Chairperson of Sovereign Council General Abdulfatah Al Burhan and the leader of the RSF and appeal to them to deescalate the conflict. On April 16, a virtual meeting was called by heads of state and government to address the situation in Sudan.
And the team was put together, led by His Excellency, President Salva Kiir. And he continued to persuade and give pressure to both of them to ensure a ceasefire, cessation of hostility, and humanitarian access. And thereafter, people talk about political settlement.
It is true that there are so many actors, but we have experience in South Sudan. We have our own situation, and we felt that a homegrown solution was the only way to solve it and bring about a sustainable solution. And this is what President Salva has told the two parties, and they have told all the special envoys that have come to Juba that the most important way to address this situation is to allow the Sudanese themselves and the Sudanese political forces to be able to share the way for getting a resolution to the current problem.
Otherwise, if we are inviting others from outside—the proxy—they will complicate the matter. And this way, IGAD, the African Union, and, of course, friends can always join through IGAD or the African Union for us to be able to get a solution to this crisis that happened in Sudan. Sudan is one of the oldest countries, having gained independence in 1956. And it has never experienced this kind of war before. So, we are doing everything possible as a region, particularly the IGAD. And we’re working together with the African Union to find a solution that is acceptable to the Sudanese peace process as soon as possible.
The region is now facing some challenges in terms of security and natural disasters. To address these, how do you see the response of the international community and humanitarian organizations?
African countries and developing countries are not contributors to pollution. But then we become victims of climate change. For example, in East Africa, the drought affected so many places, but if you go to my country, South Sudan, you get a flood that submerges six states out of ten. So, livelihoods have been affected by this climate change, both in the dry area and in the wet area. Of course, there is no way that you can do this unless we work together and see how we can improve our region. One of the things that we have talked about is getting the environment back to being able to sustain the population and the ecosystem, which can now be an ecosystem in which people can live together.
Of course, humanitarian agencies are always welcome to intervene, like what happened in Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan in the areas of flooding. The humanitarian agencies are welcome, and they have done extremely well because they have reached areas where there are no services. And the government always welcomes them because they are partners; they complement what the government cannot do and can also reach out and help the population. However, it is important for us to move away from this humanitarian syndrome, as it creates dependency. What the government of South Sudan is doing is that we want to work on building peace, humanitarian aid, and development so that the people can be able to create their own wealth; they can be able to create their own food and surplus, and then get something to the market. This is what we are working on in our country.
Ethiopia and South Sudan share long borders, that are inhabited by closely related people. So how do you think the two countries should promote infrastructure, border trade, and security? How does your government approach this?
First and foremost, South Sudan is indebted a lot to the government and the people of Ethiopia. In the 1960s and 1970s, when our people were at war, they were given sanctuary here. They were given food and medicine; our people always remembered their stay in Ethiopia, and we are very grateful for the people of Ethiopia.
Now, with regard to the border, we have a very long border. And nowadays, there are many issues that we need to be very clear about, particularly infrastructure. The government of Ethiopia is working on the road, which is very significant as the road connects people.
The Government of South Sudan is also working on the road so that inter-connectivity would really be good for our people to be together. You can get good things from Addis Ababa. You can drive up to Juba; you can even proceed to Central Africa. And so there will be a big market. Whatever is not in Ethiopia, you can bring it across, and things that we don’t have, you can take them to South Sudan. So we are very keen on the issue of infrastructure. And we are working hard to be able to improve the livelihood of our people.
Trafficking is one of the key issues. And of course, our Ministry of Interior and the police are working together to regulate this kind of movement. Of course, we welcome people who come in or go out. But we must be very careful about people who are doing illegal cross border trade, human trafficking, and money laundering; all those things must be clean. And again, the Ethiopian community in South Sudan is doing very well.
They are very creative. They are very entrepreneurial. They have shops, they have banks, they have different places, they have hotels, and they are doing a good job. And they are citizens abiding by law. And we are happy with them because they are doing their business and respecting the laws of South Sudan.
Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Kenya are working together to connect to the sea through Lamu port. How the project is progressing.
LAPSSET is a project that was developed by three countries to facilitate goods and services from the Indian Ocean. South Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia are working together; even recently, we had a meeting in Dubai in April of the LAPSSET countries.
The ministers came from Ethiopia and Kenya, and they discussed how to operationalize the LAPSSET. And we are working on that to be able to realize and achieve this issue of the LAPSSET as soon as possible. It is a Northern Corridor that can take goods to South Sudan; it can go up to Sudan; and you can go up to Central Africa. It is shared; when you have mobility, you make the lives of the people very easy, and the connectivity will be so easy.
How is your government working with Ethiopia on Capacity building, like scholarships and training opportunities?
South Sudan and the government of Ethiopia are working very closely. And I really want to congratulate the government of Ethiopia and all the universities and institutions of higher learning. We have a huge student population that is studying here. We have a huge number of students that are specialized in things like doctors, surgical doctors, and engineers.
They are here; those who are working in the police are also being given training here. This is very useful; we’re benefiting from 30 years of stability in Ethiopia. South Sudan has been able to train quite a number of civil servants as well as a population of students. Not only that, we have a huge population of South Sudanese here in Ethiopia. There are about 330,000 refugees on the western side. And they are being given support by the UNHCR and the administration for Refugee Affairs. And we really want to congratulate the government of Ethiopia.
Ethiopian government enterprises like CBE are working in South Sudan. How do you think this would play into further interconnecting the economic activities of the two countries?
It will definitely enhance what is currently happening. If you have the bank, it will be easy for you to have transactions. With regard to mobile connectivity in South Sudan, I really want to thank one of the Ethiopian national, Aysheshum, a guy who has been working in telecom service.
He has been doing a lot of good work, and he came up with this idea of mobile telecom. We took some of the people who have a lot of energy and knowledge from here. So, this will really help us. Commercial banks, telecom, the hotel industry, and hospitality are also working in South Sudan. They’re making money, and we’re also getting income in the form of taxes. They are also repatriating and getting money back home. In both ways, we are doing well for all of us.
How do you see the Pretoria peace agreement, which was made between the Ethiopian government and TPLF?
We are very thankful to the government of Ethiopia and the TPLF. War is the enemy of development. And when you have war, you cannot progress. So we’re so grateful that the Pretoria peace agreement was signed as a ceasefire, they’re developing it now on a large scale.
I believe the region of Tigray is very peaceful, and people would be resettled, and Ethiopia would go to its own place in Africa. It is the oldest country in Africa, and we look to Ethiopia in all aspects. So, this particular peace agreement is a great lesson for us to learn that the African problem can be solved by African solutions. This is a very typical example.
Our message is to sustain and maintain this particular peace. So that this peace can be translated into reality, people at the grass-roots level should also join in this particular peace. And we can learn from it. Sudan can learn from what has been done in Ethiopia, and South Sudan will learn from it. Other countries, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, can learn not from war but from giving peace a chance.
Honorable Foreign Minister of South Sudan, these are my questions, if you want to add any more points, please take a chance.
Well, I have nothing more to say but to really congratulate the people of Ethiopia. Peace is the most important thing for Africa. The heart of Africa and the headquarters of the AU are found here. So, one thing that Ethiopia has always remained committed to is all issues related to peace.
Another one is that you can help us, like when they had to do it in 2019. So, I have nothing much to say, but I will want to congratulate the Prime Minister, the government of Ethiopia, and the people of Ethiopia for the effort that they are making to bring about development. Addis Ababa has now changed. And I believe other towns have also changed. And so everything has really changed in Ethiopia, and we want to see this particular change and move forward.
Thank you very much, honorable minister.
It is my pleasure.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 24 JUNE 2023
