Sudan, Chad continue border security cooperation

Sudan and Chad have agreed to enhance security cooperation and promote economic, social and political relations on the joint border area.

On Monday, the governor of West Darfur, Hussein Yassin Hamad, discussed ways to promote bilateral cooperation in all fields with a delegation from the Chadian consulate in El Geneina.

Hamad pointed out that the next period would witness extensive contacts between West Darfur and Chad’s border regions to implement recommendations of the border development conference which was held recently in El Geneina.

The Chadian-Sudanese border force has been deployed along the joint border in 2010 in line with a deal to stop support to rebel groups and cross-border attacks. Last year, the two countries announced their intention to expand the deployment of the joint force to include counter-terrorism and disarmament activities.

Last week, Libya’s foreign ministry at the Government of National Accord announced that a quadripartite agreement to control and monitor borders among Libya, Sudan, Chad and Niger was signed in Ndjamena on June 2.

Foreign Minister Mohamad El Sayala said that the agreement would enhance joint efforts of the four countries to secure the borders, stressing his country’s keenness to support all efforts to fight terrorism, illegal migration, human trafficking and all forms of cross-border crime.

Last May the government of West Darfur took several new measures in an attempt to reduce the insecurity in the state. A curfew prohibits vehicles coming from the Darfur-Chad border towns to enter El Geneina from evening until the morning. Commercial lorries carrying goods are not allowed to enter the state capital any more between 7 pm to 7 am.

(Sources: Radio Dabanga, Sudan Tribune)