AU team arrives to Khartoum for talks on security issues with Juba
September 14, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – An African Union team is expected to arrive in the Sudanese capital on Sunday to follow its investigations on claims of support to rebel groups from both sides after spending a week in South Sudan recently.
The Ad Hoc Investigative Mechanism (AIM) was formed last July to help Khartoum and Juba to implement a security accord which is part of a package of cooperation agreements signed in September 2012.
The mechanism members returned recently to Addis Ababa after visiting Bentiu, Yida, camp, Renk and Raja.
After their arrival in Khartoum, the team which is led by Brigadier-General Luis Inacio Muxito will meet the Sudanese members of the joint security committee to discuss their claims against the South Sudanese side and the complaints of the latter.
Following the signing of an implementation matrix for the cooperation agreements in March, Sudan renewed its accusations against South Sudan and threatened to freeze the 27 September accords.
However, since the two countries agreed to work together to implement the security agreement which provides to stop alleged support to rebel groups and to form joint teams to monitor the border.
Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti on Saturday announced that first vice-president Ali Osman Taha extended an invitation to the new South Sudanese vice-president James Wani Igga to visit Khartoum to discuss the implementation of the signed agreements.
Karti added that his ministry, on the other hand, formed a panel to coordinate the activities of committees and mechanisms tasked with the implementation of the nine cooperation accords.
Presidents Omer Al-Bashir and Salva Kiir, two weeks ago, agreed that the foreign ministries will coordinate the work of over 36 committees to accelerate the implementation of different deals between the two countries.
He further said that interior minister Ibrahim Mahmoud received an invitation from his South Sudanese counterpart to visit Juba to discuss issues related to the movement of citizens between the two countries and the establishment of 10 border crossing points.
In Khartoum it was also announced that the joint security committee will hold its fourth meeting on 17 September.
(ST)