KHARTOUM, Sudan, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The British government is eager to hear how it can best help build democracy and restore peace in the Sudanese region, a visiting minister said Tuesday.
British Foreign Office Minister for Africa Mark Simmonds arrived Tuesday in Khartoum to discuss regional peace initiatives.
South Sudan descended into chaos last month after President Salva Kiir accused former Vice President Riek Machar of trying to overthrow the government. Machar, who was sidelined when Kiir reshuffled his Cabinet in July, denies attempting a coup.
Simmonds said he welcomed Sudan's efforts to restore peace to the region.
"We are both in agreement that there must be a political resolution to this crisis," he said in a statement. "I will look to discuss what more can be done to stop the ongoing violence and the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan."
The British government played a role in brokering a 2005 peace agreement that ended civil war in Sudan. That peace agreement paved the way to South Sudan's independence in 2011.
The U.N. Mission in South Sudan has estimated the number of people killed in the conflict that erupted Dec. 15 may be as high as 10,000.
