Sudan and Ethiopia have agreed to reduce border tensions and refer disputes to the political leaderships.
“Sudan Tribune” website stated that military delegations from Sudan and Ethiopia met in Galabat town of Gedaref State in eastern Sudan.
The Sudanese delegation was headed by Brigadier General Babikir Ibrahim al-Haj, commander of the intelligence of the eastern military region, while the Ethiopian delegation was led by the head of North Gondar in Amhara.
The meeting, which lasted several hours, reviewed the security threats and resulted in an agreement to limit all tensions.
The two parties discussed establishing camps in eastern Sudan to host Ethiopian refugees from Tigray and Qumuz, according to the website.
They also agreed to halt the attack of the Ethiopian militiamen from the Amhara region against Sudanese farmers.
The Sudanese-Ethiopian border has witnessed military tensions since last November, when the Sudanese army redeployed its forces in al-Fashqa lands, and reclaimed agricultural territories, which had been under Ethiopia’s control since 1995.
Meanwhile, Sudan renewed its demand for the United Nations to replace the Ethiopian forces of the peacekeeping mission in the disputed Abyei region.
The Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, discussed in Khartoum with the Director of the Political Department of the UN Office of the United Nations Special Assistant, Graham Maitland, the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
Al-Mahdi highlighted Sudan’s efforts to resolve the dispute over the region with South Sudan by activating the role of joint mechanisms for border control and the Political Security Committee, as well as re-opening the crossings between the two countries.
Later, the EU envoy to Ethiopia and Sudan Beka Havistan said in a press statement in Brussels that the EU can play a positive role and provide assistance at the political and technical levels to reach an agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Havistan added that the Union believes in its ability, along with the African Union, to help Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia reach a conclusion, noting that it is important to reach an agreement before Addis Ababa begins the second filling of the dam next July.
Havistan said the EU is an observer in the negotiations and stressed the importance of exchanging technical information about the stages of filling GERD.
“Sudan needs technical information because it’s concerned about flood risks,” said the envoy, adding that the dam may destroy infrastructure.
Sudan conditioned accepting a partial agreement on filling and operating the dam with the three countries signing all previous agreements. It also said the agreement shall remain valid until it is renewed by another agreement.
