Tut Gatluak, presidential head of National Transitional Committee Credit | Gore Anthony/SSBC

The Presidential Advisor on National Security Affairs says President Salva Kiir has offered to mediate between Sudan and Ethiopia to solve border disputes.

Tut Gatluak who is also the chairperson of the Sudan Mediation Team in the Sudanese peace talks, says South Sudan has called for a diplomatic and amicable resolution to the border dispute.

Since mid-December, the Sudanese-Ethiopian border has been witnessing insecurity and clashes between the two sides.

On Wednesday, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry announced that an Ethiopian military plane had penetrated the Sudanese border, saying it was a dangerous and unjustified escalation.

Yesterday, tensions and clashes were reported between and Ethiopia over agricultural land in “Al-Fasaqa”.

Sudan accuses Ethiopian farmers supported by Ethiopian forces of seizing land in the Sudanese “Al-Fashaqa” area on the border with Ethiopia.

Tut Gatluak says South Sudan calls for a peaceful solution to the dispute.

“President Salva Kiir took the initiative to find a solution that would bring the parties together, Sudan and Ethiopia so that they would not go to war and reach a diplomatic solution,” Tut told state SSBC TV during a meeting with Sudanese Head of Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al- Burhan in Khartoum, on Thursday.

“We know that there is a border dispute but it must be resolved in a political way, not a military solution.”

He added: “President Al-Burhan stressed the readiness of his government for any solution and any mediation by South Sudan, especially President Salva Kiir, who can manage the current situation, bring the two parties together, and reach stability in the area and the region.”