Sudan, South Sudan reach agreement for cooperation

By Benjamin Takpiny

Juba, South Sudan (AA) - Sudan and South Sudan agreed to fully cooperate to ensure peace between the two countries, officials of both countries said on Friday.

Ending a meeting with Sudanese premier Abdallah Hamdok prior to his departure to Khartoum, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit underlined that his government would work closely with Khartoum.

He said both governments agreed to fully cooperate to ensure peace and prosperity between the two sisterly countries.

"We will work together, we will work on the border issues soon between the two countries, and hopefully peace will come to Sudan and South Sudan," Kiir said.

For his part, Hamdok said they discussed wider areas of bilateral cooperation between South Sudan and Sudan.

"Our visit gave us a chance to discuss bilateral relations like trade and border issues, and we reached an understanding. This understanding will lead to the benefit of the two nation," he said.

Hamdok added that he met different rebel groups during his visit, including Aballah Aziz Hilu, the leader of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front.

South Sudan split from the north in 2011 after decades of bloody war with Khartoum, famously becoming the world's youngest nation. While tensions remain high between the two countries over ongoing border disputes and the transfer of oil to the north, they have increasingly moved to normalize ties in recent years.