Sudan, South Sudan Agree to Create Joint Forces to Ensure Border Security

Since South Sudan separated from Sudan in 2011, the two countries have not succeeded in demarcating their common borders. However, after the dismissal of Sudan’s ex-President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, relations between Juba and Khartoum improved, and they engaged in talks that led to the formation of a joint technical committee for demarcation.

Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to establish a joint force for the purpose of ensuring security on the 1,800-kilometer-long border between the two countries for the first time in the history of the relationship between Juba and Khartoum.

On Thursday, the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, held a meeting in the South Sudanese capital Juba that was attended by the defense ministers of the two countries and the foreign minister of South Sudan, as well as Sudan’s deputy FM.

“The two presidents stressed the importance of maintaining stability and security along the border and promoting peace and prosperity in the two countries,” the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum and Juba announced in a joint statement. “Bearing this in mind, they agreed to form a joint security force to prevent the infiltration of illegal weapons and to fight negative forces and activities on the common borders.”

The statement indicated that it was agreed to exchange intelligence information and that security forces in the two countries would hold periodic meetings to coordinate measures to confront potential challenges.

Al-Burhan and Kiir, according to the joint statement, called on the work mechanisms of the Abyei region, a disputed border territory accorded “special administrative status” to redouble their efforts to determine the final status of the region and to enhance economic, development and societal cooperation.

Sudan and South Sudan dispute some border areas, having been unable to reach an agreement on their subordination, although a technical committee agreed on more than 80% of the 1,800-kilometer-long common border before the secession of South Sudan in July 2011.

In 2019, following the dismissal of Sudan’s ex-President Omar al-Bashir, relations between Juba and Khartoum improved, and they engaged in talks that led to the formation of a joint technical committee for demarcation.