Al-Bashir, Deby vow to promote cross-border relations
April 25, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and his Chadian counterpart Idriss Deby have pledged to remove all obstacles hindering cross-border relations between the two countries.
In his remarks before the meeting, al-Bashir expressed commitment to implement the recommendations of the conference at the federal and state levels.
He pointed to the need to develop the free-trade area between the two countries to facilitate the exchange of goods, calling to establish industrial zones and new residential compounds to develop the border area.
The Sudanese president stressed the border conference would be held alternately in Sudan and Ethiopia.
Al-Bashir also underlined the success of the joint Sudanese-Chadian border control force, saying the two sides agreed to dispatch police units to reinforce the troops according to the recommendations of the conference.
He also stressed Sudan’s commitment to providing the necessary services to allow Chad make use of the Sudanese seaports,
For his part, the Chadian president vowed to implement the outcome of the conference and provide the required support to promote cooperation between the two countries.
He pointed to the need to complete the railway linking Sudan to Chad and strengthen transportation between the two countries to transfer people and goods.
In January 2010, Sudan and Chad signed a normalization agreement ending a long history of mutual hostility in which both sides provided support to each other’s insurgents.
The joint border force has been deployed along the joint border in 2010 in line with a deal to stop support to rebel groups and cross-border attacks.
Last year, the two countries announced their intention to expand the deployment of the joint force to include counter-terrorism and disarmament.
Also, incursions by Sudanese and Chadian from Libya should push the two countries to consider the redeployment of a joint in the triangle border area.
(ST)