Sudan, S. Sudan defense minister discuss borders, Mile-14
May 24, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – South Sudan’s Defense and Veteran Affairs minister, Angelina Teny said the developments that created a disturbance from local communities in Mile-14 area have amicably been dealt with.
She made the remarks at the meeting of the joint political and security mechanism between the Sudan and South Sudan in Khartoum on Tuesday
Teny, according to SUNA, also affirmed her country’s commitment to the joint work included in the mechanism, while calling for the necessity of controlling citizens at the borders between the two neighbouring countries.
She said the meeting, which was organized by Sudan’s acting Defense minister, Lieutenant-General Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, was a follow-up of a similar meeting held in the South Sudanese capital, Juba in November 2021.
Yassin, for his part, affirmed that the relations between Sudan and South Sudan will remain close, adding “We will remain one people in two states.”
He said the joint mechanism and its subcommittees have been working throughout the previous period to strengthen relations between the two countries to reach stability stage, without interfering in their internal affairs.
The Sudanese Defense minister underscored the strategic relations between the government of Sudan and South Sudan at the official and popular levels as well as the joint agreement between the two countries in order to enhance the principle of safe neighborhood and a bridge of communication, while stressing that the cooperation agreements included a number of areas, and their implementation would lead to more interests.
At the level of the joint political and security mechanism, the Yassin stated that Sudan is committed to what was agreed upon in the terms of the agreement, affirming withdrawal of the Sudanese forces from the demilitarized zone in line with the covenants between the two countries.
The joint mechanism meeting held in Khartoum mainly focused on border crossings, work of the Joint Border Commission and the Mile-14 committees.
The 14-Mile area, a strategically important strip of territory just south of the River Kiir, on the border between Northern Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan and East Darfur, Sudan, was the scene of intermittent military clashes between the Governments of South Sudan and Sudan between 2011 and 2012.
As of March 2014, with both countries attention focused on internal conflicts, and discussions over a Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) at an impasse, the 14-Mile Area is reportedly peaceful, even if its demilitarization, which was a commitment from both countries in January 2014, remains highly unlikely in the near future.
(ST)