KHARTOUM, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Thursday voiced support for the Sudanese government and President Omar al-Bashir.
"We came to Khartoum to reiterate our stand alongside al-Bashir as he is the first president to recognize South Sudan and he is the one who proposed the initiative to resolve South Sudan problem," said Gatluak Tut, special envoy of the South Sudanese president, after meeting with al-Bashir.
"We stand with Sudan and hope the Sudanese people would not repeat the mistakes of neighboring peoples," he added, noting that Juba would stand with Khartoum to improve the economic conditions.
Since Dec. 19 last year, various areas in Sudan, including Khartoum, have been witnessing popular protests over the deteriorating economic conditions and price hikes of basic commodities.
According to government statistics, 19 people have been killed during the protests.
