Kampala - South Sudan has signed a series of security agreements with its northern neighbour Sudan, portending a possible improvement in relations between the two countries which have a history of acrimony over a number of disputed issues.
The Joint Political and Security Committee (JPSC), co-chaired by the defence ministers, held a six-hour meeting in Khartoum on Sunday to discuss the activation of the security arrangements agreed to in September 2012.
Following Sunday’s meeting Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour told journalists that JPSC agreed to enforce all the concluded agreements on the buffer zone, flexible borders and to stop supporting rebel groups, reported the Sudan Tribune.
“With regard to the support of rebel groups, specifics will be enforced by the concerned security services of both countries,” said Ghandour.
“The agreements include the re-deployment of joint military forces along the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone (SDBZ), and an approved plan to stop supporting and harbouring rebels as well as opening crossings points,” reported the Sudan Tribune on Monday morning.
“Among the signed documents, the parties agreed to send separate reports to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) which will participate in the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM) and the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) which brokered the deal.”
They will also demand the African Union send the needed technical teams to implement the deal.
It was also agreed that the border crossing point committee will meet in Juba within the next two weeks to determine the dates and procedures for the opening of the 10 points.
South Sudanese Defence Minister Kuol Manyang Juuk and his Sudanese counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Ouf signed an agreement in October 2015 to operationalise the buffer zone between the two countries.
However, subsequent JPSC meetings to implement the buffer zone were adjourned numerous times due to the security situation in South Sudan.
“The two Sudans have a long acrimonious history of conflict so the fact they are getting together to hold talks is a step in the right direction,” said Pasqualino Okello from Victoria University in Kampala.
“When Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir came to Entebbe in May to attend President Yoweri Museveni’s inauguration he held talks with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir,” Okello told the African News Agency (ANA).
“There are still a lot of disputed issues between the two countries which need to be resolved and if not could still derail the talks between Khartoum and Juba because they are still not the best of friends but at least there talks are a positive development.”
These disputed issues include Abyei state which is administered by Sudan but also claimed by South Sudan. Abyei was supposed to have a referendum to determine which country it would be part of, but this has been delayed pending discussion of the disputes.
Kafia Kingi falls under South Sudanese sovereignty according to the authoritative 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by both states, and the UN. However, since then it has largely been controlled by Sudanese forces.
Another major dispute between the two Sudans has revolved around oil.
South Sudan ceased producing oil on a complaint that Sudan was “stealing” its oil en route via pipeline to Port Sudan, the only accessible venue for exporting South Sudanese oil beyond Sudan.
Sudan responded saying that the deduction was a “fee” for using the pipeline that was owned by Sudan. Several oil trucks were also briefly held by Sudan but later released saying it was a good faith initiative to lessen tensions.
– African News Agency