South Sudanese President Salva Kiir has offered to help mediate a political transition in Sudan after the fall of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir to weeks of popular protest
A statement from Kiir’s office said that he was ready to support the “democratic aspirations” of his former adversary in Khartoum and help bring about a peaceful transition.
“The president has offered to mediate the ongoing negotiations among various groups in Sudan with the hope that the new transition will usher in a new day in Sudan…,” the statement added.
His move comes seven months after Bashir helped mediate a shaky peace deal between Kiir and the main opposition rebel group in South Sudan, which won independence from Sudan in 2011 after decades of conflict.
Bashir, who seized power in a 1989 coup, was himself toppled last week by the military, which has vowed free elections within two years, though protesters remain in the streets, demanding an immediate handover to an interim civilian authority.
