Adut Kiir in Luanda as South Sudan Moves to Deepen Ties With Angola

South Sudan’s Senior Presidential Envoy on Special Programmes, Hon. Adut Salva Kiir, has held high-level talks in Luanda, carrying a special message from President Salva Kiir Mayardit as Juba seeks to strengthen relations with Angola.

Adut Kiir met H.E. Domingos Custódio Vieira Lopes, Angola’s Secretary of State for International Cooperation and Angolan Communities, and delivered a letter from President Kiir to his Angolan counterpart, President João Lourenço.

According to the Office of the Senior Presidential Envoy, the message reaffirmed South Sudan’s commitment to stronger bilateral relations, expanded cooperation and joint efforts in support of regional peace, stability and development. She was accompanied by South Sudan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. James Pitia Morgan.

The Luanda engagement comes at an important moment for South Sudan as the country navigates its political transition, economic pressures and continuing security challenges in a volatile region. Against that backdrop, Juba has been working to consolidate relations with established African partners capable of contributing diplomatic weight, investment and experience to the country’s development agenda.

Angola is an important partner in that equation. One of Africa’s major oil producers, it has also emerged as an influential diplomatic player, particularly in peace efforts in the Great Lakes region. For South Sudan, closer ties with Luanda offer opportunities for cooperation extending from diplomacy and regional security to energy, investment and development.

The mission also adds to the increasingly visible portfolio of Adut Kiir since her appointment as Senior Presidential Envoy on Special Programmes in August 2025. Since taking office, she has been involved in assignments spanning infrastructure, public health, political dialogue and diplomatic engagement.

In January, she participated in the relaunch of the strategically important Juba–Bahr el Ghazal road project, being undertaken by Shandong High-Speed. Chinese officials have described the highway as an important infrastructure project for South Sudan and an outcome of previous discussions between Presidents Xi Jinping and Salva Kiir.

Her office has also taken an active role in discussions surrounding South Sudan’s political transition. In June, it convened a High-Level Pan-African Engagement Forum in Juba that brought together African ambassadors and representatives of the African Union, IGAD, R-JMEC and other stakeholders to discuss the country’s electoral and political roadmap. The forum also announced plans for an inter-party dialogue aimed at broadening political participation and building consensus ahead of the country’s anticipated transition.

Public health has featured on her agenda as well. During a June visit to the National Public Health Institute in Juba, amid concerns over Ebola outbreaks elsewhere in the region, Adut Kiir backed efforts to strengthen emergency preparedness and donated vehicles to support logistics and the movement of medical supplies.

Her appointment has nevertheless attracted scrutiny. Some political opponents and commentators questioned President Kiir’s decision to appoint his daughter to a senior position within the presidency. With her office taking on a widening range of responsibilities, attention will inevitably remain focused on its performance and the results emerging from its assignments.

The Angola visit comes amid broader efforts by Juba to reinforce South Sudan’s regional relationships. President Kiir has repeatedly stressed that instability beyond the country’s borders, particularly the conflict in neighbouring Sudan, has direct consequences for South Sudan’s security and economic wellbeing.

Earlier in August, he reiterated Juba’s commitment to supporting efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, maintaining that peace there remains closely linked to South Sudan’s own stability. The relationship is especially critical given the economic ties between the two countries and South Sudan’s dependence on infrastructure running through Sudan for the export of its crude oil.

Juba has also been strengthening ties with Ethiopia. During an April working visit, President Kiir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed discussed political and economic reforms, infrastructure, oil, transportation, peace and security, while agreeing to accelerate implementation of existing bilateral agreements.

The outreach to Luanda fits within this wider diplomatic push. While South Sudan’s immediate neighbours remain central to its foreign policy, closer engagement with influential capitals elsewhere on the continent could widen the country’s diplomatic and economic options.

For Adut Kiir, the Angola assignment further raises the profile of an office that has become increasingly active since her appointment. The range of assignments entrusted to her — from infrastructure and health preparedness to political consultations and presidential diplomacy — suggests a role extending across several of the administration’s priority areas.

Details of President Kiir’s letter to President Lourenço were not disclosed beyond its emphasis on bilateral cooperation, peace, stability and development. Attention will now turn to whether the exchange leads to further engagements and concrete cooperation between Juba and Luanda.

There is considerable room for such cooperation. South Sudan and Angola are both oil-producing states whose modern histories have been shaped by long liberation struggles and the challenges of post-conflict reconstruction. Angola’s experience in petroleum development, infrastructure and economic reconstruction could provide useful areas for exchange as South Sudan works to increase production, attract investment and derive greater development benefits from its natural resources.

The Luanda mission ultimately reflects a South Sudanese foreign policy seeking stronger African partnerships at a demanding moment for the young nation. With political transition, economic recovery and regional instability all competing for attention, Juba’s ability to cultivate productive relationships with countries such as Angola could prove increasingly important.