Sudan, Ethiopia discuss joint border force

KHARTOUM (AA) – 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.