S. Sudan president orders army to withdraw from border with Sudan

South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit has ordered army units to withdraw from their positions at the border with Sudan, Radio Tamazuj reported Tuesday.

"The troops should move at least five miles south of the common border of Jan. 1, 1956, in accordance with the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement," Kiir was quoted as saying.

Kiir expressed readiness to normalize ties with Khartoum, saying "we need to work closely with our brothers and sisters in Khartoum, to normalize all our relations."

He said his government "will reactivate all the committees concerned with this matter."

He said the borders must be calm for the sake of the people living there, expressing hope that "Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir will respond positively to the call to normalize relations, and open up common borders for communication, trade, and relationships."

Sudan closed its border with South Sudan in June 2011, as Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector rebelled in Sudan's South Kordofan State, along the border with the South.

Khartoum then accused Juba of sheltering SPLM/northern sector rebels, in addition to providing them with logistical support via the shared border.

In September 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a cooperation agreement in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa under the patronage of the African Union.

The agreement included a package of understandings relating to security, citizens' status, border and economic issues and others relating to oil and trade. However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.

The border issue is the biggest obstacle to the settlement of differences between Sudan and South Sudan, revolving around five border areas: Abyei, Dabatal-Fakhar, Jabel Al-Migainis, Samaha and Kafia Kanji. Endit