Ethiopia, Sudan resume talks on border dispute

By:Fana

Ethiopia and Sudan have resumed their second high-level political committee meeting on border issues in Khartoum today.

An Ethiopian delegation headed by Ethiopia Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen is in attendance of the meeting opened in the Sudanese capital.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Ethiopia Deputy PM Demeke said Ethiopia always attaches great importance to its relation with the people and Government of the Sudan.

He further said Ethiopia is committed to work closely with the Government of Sudan in all bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest.

He said the strong and longstanding ties between the two countries are intertwined and whatever happens in Ethiopia will certainly have spill over effect in the Sudan and vice versa.

However, he said, the recently incident at the common border of the two did not commensurate from this longstanding principle of solidarity and fraternity.

“Starting from November 9, 2020, we are observing organized attacks by the Sudanese Military Forces using heavy machine guns and armored convoy,” he said.

According to Demeke, agricultural products of Ethiopian farmers were looted, their camps vandalized, and they were also hampered from harvesting their own farms. A number of civilians had been murdered and wounded.

“The government of Ethiopia is very much concerned by this recent development in the border areas,” he said adding “it is endangering the agreements we have reached to maintain the status quo in the area north of Mount Dagelish.”

He said finding an amicable solution on settlement and cultivation is the only way to bring lasting solution to the issues at the common border areas.

He added securitization and unnecessary escalation will only worsen the situation and create pointless tension in the border area and disrupt daily activities of peoples living in the border area.

In his opening remarks Demeke also congratulated the people and government of the Sudan for being delisted from the state sponsors of terrorism.

He also thanked and appreciated them for the unwavering support and understanding for Ethiopia’s law and order enforcement operation in the Tigray regional state.

The first high-level political committee meeting was held in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last May.