Egyptian President Khalil el-Sisi has offered condolences to President Kiir of South Sudan, First Vice President Riek Machar, and the South Sudanese government over the death of the country’s Minister of Water and Irrigation Peter Manawa, according to Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.
Minister Manawa died early Sunday in a Cairo hospital, according to Egyptian Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth.
After suffering a heart arrest in Juba, Makuei, who also serves as the government’s spokesperson, informed local media on Sunday that the minister was transported to Egypt on Friday for additional treatment.
“The cause of death remains unclear. But the late was suffering from heart disease. He was admitted to a hospital for two days here in Juba, but he was evacuated to Egypt on Friday for further treatment,” he said.
“It is a great loss to the whole country,” Makuei added.
Manawa was appointed as the minister in March 2020, following the implementation of the renewed peace accord on February 22, 2020.
Manawa was a leading member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), which was one of the peace agreement’s main parties. Prior to the fighting in December 2013, he was the minister of physical infrastructure in Jonglei state.