In Juba, under the auspices of Salva Kiir, negotiations start between the Sudanese government and the SPLM-N

Negotiations began in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, between the Sudanese government and the "SPLM-North" led by Abdulaziz Al-Hilu, under the auspices of the President of the State of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit.

In his speech to the opening session, the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, affirmed his country's ability to solve its problems without outside interference.

For his part, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok said that the time has come for his country to address security, political and social issues directly and by following the approach of dialogue.

Hamdok added, "We want to send a message that we as Sudanese are able to solve our issues and implement our commitments in order to end the suffering, because our primary goal of this dialogue is to achieve stability and prosperity for the Sudanese citizen."

He continued in his speech that "Sudan is a multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-religious country, and this plurality enriches our country and strengthens unity, and recognition of this diversity is the basis for strengthening the principle of citizenship."

State secularism

The two sides signed an agreement on the Declaration of Principles last March, which stipulated the separation of religion from state issues, the neutrality of the state in religious issues, and guaranteeing freedom of beliefs and that the state does not adopt any religion to be official in the country.

The agreement - which was signed by al-Burhan and al-Hilu - included the autonomy of the Sudanese regions and the establishment of a unified national army that reflects the Sudanese diversity.

The SPLM / A has been fighting government forces in the states of South Kordofan (south) and Blue Nile (southeast) since June 2011.

On October 3, the Juba Agreement was signed between the Sudanese government and representatives of armed movements within the "Revolutionary Front" coalition, while the Popular Movement and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Nour, which is fighting in Darfur, did not participate.