Meeting with Salva Kiir, First Vice-President of Sudan, and President of Regional Government of Southern Sudan.

Mohamed Yahya, the executive director of the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, welcomed the efforts of Sudanese First Vice-President and Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement leader Salva Kiir to reach out to various Darfur groups in a search for common ground upon which to build peace in western Sudan.

On November 5 in Washington D.C. the Vice-President, who was in Washington for meetings with high-level U.S. officials, cordially invited members of the Darfur Diaspora in the United States, including several representatives of human rights organizations and political parties, to for an exchange of views on the troubled situation in Darfur.

Vice-President Salva Kiir joined the Sudanese unity government following the tragic death of Dr. John Garang. Garang led the Sudanese People's Liberation Army in two decades of war against the government in Khartoum before joining the government in a comprehensive peace agreement in July. Upon his triumphant arrival in Khartoum he publicly announced that finding a peaceful solution to the crisis in Darfur was his priority. Tragically he died in a helicopter crash just three weeks after assuming office, and Salva Kiir assumed his mantle.

At the Marriot, Salva Kiir declared that he would continue to follow the path towards peace set by Garang. He said: "We cannot continue to watch people be killed before our eyes, and we are working with the government to solve the problems."

Kiir urged all of the groups fighting in Darfur to unite for a peaceful Sudan. He expressed his sincere hope that all Sudanese, in the South, North, and West can enjoy peace and prosperity.

Mohamed Yahya and the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy kindly thanked the Vice-President for seeking the views of the Darfurian community in the United States. The gesture demonstrates his commitment to peaceful democracy in Sudan.