- KHARTOUM, Sudan: The president of South Sudan is making his first official visit to Khartoum since the south broke away to form an independent country earlier this year.
Salva Kiir received a red-carpet reception Saturday upon arrival in Khartoum, where he was greeted by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. A band played the south’s national anthem at a welcome ceremony.
South Sudan became officially independent from the north on July 9, breaking away after more than 50 years of on-and-off war.
Talks between Kiir and Al-Bashir during the two-day visit are expected to focus on the countries’ contested border region of Abyei. Another key topic is oil, since more than 75 percent of what was Sudan’s daily oil production comes from the south.
