Sudan, S. Sudan sign MoU to develop joint water resources
April 4, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s Minister of Water Resources and Electricity Muataz Musa and his South Sudan’s counterpart Sofia Gai have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on water resources.
The two ministers agreed to set up a joint technical committee comprised of five members from each side to follow up on the implementation of the MoU.
Following the signing ceremony in Khartoum on Tuesday evening, Musa said the agreement also aims to exchange information and expertise besides conducting joint research and building capacities.
For her part, Gai described the agreement as very important for the two countries, saying it could help to accelerate development in both nations.
She added her government looks forward to cooperating with Sudan for the benefit of the two peoples.
It is noteworthy that the technical support includes the management of water resources, drinking water, sanitation, hydropower, irrigation, drainage and river navigation.
South Sudan seceded from Sudan on July 9th, 2011 following a referendum on whether the semi-autonomous region should remain a part of the country or become independent. 99% of the southern voters chose independence.
In September 2012, both Sudan and South Sudan signed a series of cooperation agreements, which covered oil, citizenship rights, security issues, banking, border trade among others.
In March 2013, the two countries signed an implementation matrix for these cooperation agreements. However, the execution of the agreements didn’t go according to the plan.
(ST)