Relationship dossier
Eritrea
South Sudan
Relationship assessment
Bilateral engagement marked by reciprocal presidential visits and discussions on cooperation
Eritrea toward South Sudan
+20Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited Juba in 2019 for talks with South Sudanese leaders on bilateral relations and regional issues, signaling Eritrean government engagement with South Sudan.
South Sudan toward Eritrea
+20South Sudanese President Salva Kiir visited Asmara in 2018 for talks with Eritrean leaders on bilateral relations, signaling South Sudanese government engagement with Eritrea.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has included reciprocal presidential visits and discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. This supports a picture of practical but relatively limited cooperation; the extent and durability of cooperation beyond high-level engagement are unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Eritrea and South Sudan have pursued bilateral engagement through reciprocal presidential visits and discussions on strengthening cooperation. These contacts indicate practical diplomatic engagement, though the scope and implementation of any bilateral arrangements are unclear.
Key developments
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir visited Asmara for talks with Eritrean leaders on bilateral relations.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visited Juba for talks on bilateral relations and regional issues.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation arrangements are unclear.
- The extent of sustained cooperation beyond high-level diplomatic engagement is uncertain.