North and South sign security deal

Agree on 10 border check points between the two countries

The Government of Sudan said on Sunday that it had signed a security deal with South Sudan.The security deal is meant to open 10 border checkpoints between the North and the South. The locations of the border checkpoints have not yet been disclosed.

There are currently three disputed border areas: Abyei district, Southern Kordofan (Nuba Mountains) and Southern Blue Nile.

The Sudanese minister of defense, Abdul Rahim Mohammed Hussein, told journalists on Sunday that each checkpoint will be monitored by a group of 18 officials, including six from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and six from the Southern army (SPLA) besides assistance from six officials of the Ethiopian peacekeeping troops.

The minister added that the demarcation process along the disputed borders in South Kordofan (Abyei) will continue. He stated that the first meeting between the North and South concerning security had been successful.

The Khartoum government decided to make Abyei a garrison town in order to prevent the SPLA from operating in the disputed area. Meanwhile, the SPLA withdrew most of it troops from that area. Ethiopian peace keepers are in charge to maintain the status quo until a final agreement has been achieved.