South Sudanese Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum yesterday on an urgent visit to discuss the latest accusations by Khartoum that Juba is harboring armed groups opposed to the Khartoum government.

Meanwhile, the Juba government has also stated that it has evidence of the involvement of Khartoum in support of rebels in South Sudan.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mawein Makol revealed in a statement to Radio Tamazuj that Barnaba left yesterday to Khartoum at the head of a delegation to discuss with his counterpart Ali Ahmed Karti on the mutual accusations of harboring rebels.

Barnaba’s visit comes after the Sudanese interior minister who was quoted as saying that they have evidence to prove Juba’s involvement in supporting Sudanese rebels.

However, Makol for his part denied the Sudanese official’s statement and noted that the remarks were undiplomatic, prompting Benjamin to go to Khartoum to sit down with Karti and hold bilateral consultations on the countries’ relations.

“The minister of foreign affairs is going to meet his counterpart Minister Ali Karti in order to convene a consultative meeting on matters of mutual concern especially on the current coverage by the Sudanese media houses on diplomatic issues that are supposed to be discussed at a high level between the two countries as agreed upon in the joint Cooperation Agreement of 2012,” he said.

Makol maintained, however, that they have evidence to confirm the involvement of Khartoum in support of rebel group SPLM-IO. But he said this should be discussed by the competent authorities.

“If there is any point of disagreement, there are special bodies that will sit and discuss those matters – so this is why the minister of foreign affairs is there,” Makol told Radio Tamazuj.