Addis Ababa, 5 November 2017: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, started a two-day visit to Sudan today. His delegation includes the Commissioner for Social Affairs, Amira El-Fadil, as well as other African Union officials.

During his visit, the Chairperson of the Commission will hold talks with the highest Sudanese authorities to discuss issues of mutual interest. The visit will provide an opportunity to take stock of the peace and reconciliation efforts in the Darfur region, where recent progress made it possible to initiate the drawdown and exit of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, as well as in Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile. 

The visit will also provide an opportunity to discuss the efforts by Sudan and South Sudan to advance the implementation of the Cooperation Agreements signed in 2012 and the search for a solution to the Abyei issue. 

The African Union, through its High-Level Implementation Panel, is actively involved in all these processes.

A number of other key issues will also be on the agenda of the discussions with the Sudanese authorities. These include the ongoing reform of the African Union, the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063, including flagship projects such as the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area and the Single African Air Transport Market. 

Similarly, follow-up and implementation by Sudan of specific African Union programs on human development, including the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA), and the issue of migration will also be addressed. On this last point, it should be noted that, in the context of the African Union Horn of Africa Initiative on Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants, the Regional Operational Centre for Sharing Information on Transnational Crime will be based in Khartoum. Discussions are underway between Sudan and the African Union to finalize the host agreement. 

During his stay in Sudan, the Chairperson of the Commission will address the International University of Africa in Khartoum on the theme of youth.