South Africa’s President Visits South Sudan to Expand Cooperation

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is undertaking a working visit to South Sudan to discuss security and stability while strengthening bilateral relations.

Having already established ties in fields such as petroleum exploration and production, the visit aims to promote collaboration across various segments of the economy.

During a meeting with his South Sudanese counterpart President Salva Kiir Mayardit from 16-18 April, President Ramahposa is expected to receive a status update on the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) – signed in September 2018.

Due to expire on February 22, 2025, the R-ARCSS agreement served to promote stability in South Sudan while ushering a transitional period leading to national elections in 2024, which are set to take place in December.

According to the South African Presidency, “South Africa has always been walking with South Sudan on its path to reconstruction and development since the dawn of independence in 2011.” 

President Ramaphosa has tapped his Deputy President Paul Mashatile as South Africa’s Special Envoy to provide political support to ensure a peaceful end to the transitional period.

Serving as Chair of the African Union High-Level Ad-hoc Committee for South Sudan, South Africa has participated in a number of conflict resolution and mediation mechanisms, promoted state and capacity building while overseeing post-conflict reconstruction and development.

President Ramaphosa’s working visit to South Sudan comes on the heels of South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s signing of an MoU with South Sudan’s Ministry of Mining for collaboration in the mining sector in February this year.

The MoU will see increased cooperation in exploration, the transfer of knowledge and capacity building between the two countries.

Meanwhile, in June 2023, South Africa’s state-owned mining company the African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation announced that it is actively seeking partnerships with South Sudanese mining companies.

Additionally, South Sudan’s Ministry of Petroleum signed an agreement during the same month that would see South Africa’s Strategic Fuel Fund conduct aerial surveys in the country, thereby kicking off a highly anticipated upstream program in Block 2.