Sudan, S. Sudan committee to meet within few weeks: sources

September 19, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – Khartoum and Juba have agreed to resume the meetings of the Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC) between the two countries during the next weeks, said diplomatic sources.

The semi-official Sudan Media Center (SMC) has quoted an informed source within Sudan’s Foreign Ministry as saying the upcoming meeting would discuss what has been agreed on the implementation of the security arrangements item of the cooperation agreement signed between the two countries.

The same source added the meeting would discuss the promotion of border trade besides the ongoing arrangements to establish the safe demilitarized zone.

“We are committed to what has been reached during the previous meetings,” said the source.

However, the source pointed out that no agreement has been reached so far on the date and place of the upcoming meeting.

Last month, South Sudan’s Ambassador to Khartoum Mayan Dut Waal announced that the JPSC will meet after Eid al-Adha holiday but the meeting didn’t take place.

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.

The two countries in March 2013 signed an implementation matrix for these cooperation agreements. However, the execution of the agreements didn’t go according to the plan.

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.

(ST)