Ethiopia, Sudan agree to coordinate border security efforts
April 11, 2020 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan and Ethiopia Friday agreed to coordinate border control and monitoring operations to prevent cross border crimes and attacks.
On Friday, General Adem Mohamed the Ethiopian army Chief of the General Staff arrived in Khartoum leading a senior military delegation for talks with the head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the prime minister Abdallah Hamdok.
The meetings come after security tensions on the border between the two countries, which prompted al-Burhan to visit the eastern border area of Doka, and to declare the army’s readiness to protect the Sudanese territory.
On Friday evening, the Ministry of Defence in Khartoum hosted a session of military talks between the visiting delegation and a Sudanese delegation headed by First Lieutenant General Mohamed Osman al-Hussein, chief of staff.
The meeting dealt with strengthening bilateral coordination between the two countries to control the joint borders.
The two sides dealt with “controlling borders and fighting transnational crimes. They reached a full and permanent understanding to secure the common borders,” said al-Hussein after the meeting
He further praised the strong bilateral relations between the two countries, noting that the visiting delegation of the discussed bilateral relations, especially in their military and security aspects.
For his part, the Ethiopian Gen Mohamed confirmed the strong relations between Sudan and Ethiopia, expressing his country’s endeavour
to maintain good relations with Sudan.
He added that his visit to Sudan discussed strengthening the existing relations between the two countries in the military and security fields and discussed ways to coordinate joint efforts to solve problems that occur in the borders.
He emphasized that the two sides reached a comprehensive consensus on all issues, pointing out that this accord will contribute to the consolidation of bilateral relations.
On March 30, the Sudanese army deployed troops on the border between Gedaref state and Ethiopia’s Amhara region.
The area witnesses dispute over land ownership between Sudanese and Ethiopian farmers, also, it is known for small trafficking.
The Sudanese army said that the forces were deployed to restore security in the area following recent conflicts that occurred between farmers from both countries ahead of the summer agricultural season.
(ST)