11.02.2019 18:35
Sudanese president, Ethiopian PM discuss border issue on sidelines of AU summit in Addis Ababa.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday discussed plans to establish a joint force tasked with protecting the two countries' shared border.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 32nd African Union Summit currently underway in Addis Ababa.
According to a subsequent statement released by al-Bashir's office, the two men discussed plans to create a joint border committee, officially demarcate the common border, and draw up a joint border-protection force.
They also reportedly stressed the importance of strengthening economic ties between Sudan and Ethiopia.
Last summer, both countries agreed to deploy a joint force along the shared border, which continues to see sporadic skirmishes involving rebel groups, human traffickers and local security forces.
Although a joint committee was set up in 2015 to determine the Sudan-Ethiopia frontier, several stretches of the shared border have yet to be formally demarcated. -