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Al-Bashir orders to open borders with S. Sudan

Xinhua, January 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Wednesday issued a decision ordering to open the country's borders with South Sudan, official SUNA news agency reported.

"The president directed the concerned authorities to take all necessary measures to implement the decision on the ground," the report said.

On Tuesday South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit ordered army units to withdraw from their positions at the border with Sudan.

"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 by Radio Tamazuj as saying Tuesday.

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. Endit