South Sudan has invited Egypt to attend the final signing ceremony of a long-awaited peace accord between Sudan’s transitional government and key rebel groups in October, a statement by the Egyptian presidency read on Tuesday.

Juba has been mediating between the government of neighbouring Sudan and a number of rebel groups in the country. The final peace deal is set to be signed on October 2 in the South Sudanese capital.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi received South Sudanese Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs Tut Gatluak in Cairo on Tuesday, and the latter extended an invitation from South Sudanese President Silva Kiir for the signing ceremony.

El-Sisi expressed appreciation for the invite to the major milestone, describing it as an extension of efforts exerted by Egypt to support the stability of Sudan.

He also stressed Egypt’s keenness to bolster cooperation with South Sudan and provide support in all fields, most notably development.

Gatluak presented the latest political developments in his country, praising Egypt’s role and efforts to back stability in the region and in South Sudan.

The meeting also saw an exchange of viewpoints over several regional issues, including issues related to Nile water and developments on the disputed Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The peace deal, which is between Sudan’s transitional government and the Sudan Revolutionary Front, along with many of the rebel groups in Darfur and elsewhere, is set to end violence that has lasted for almost two decades and caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, mainly in western Darfur.