Alsharq Alawsat
Khartoum and Addis Ababa announced Friday preparations to hold a third round of talks of the Ethiopian-Sudan High Joint Committee on Border Issues amid reports that Ethiopia deployed forces along the border with Sudan.
“There is a possibility of clashes taking place between the two forces. The Sudanese Army is in its utmost readiness to confront any possible attack at the eastern border,” Sputnik Arabia quoted Sudanese military sources as saying.
The news agency said Sudan tracked “Ethiopian intelligence cells” operating in its territories to provide the Ethiopian Army with “sensitive” information about the situation on the border.
Sudanese Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Mohammed Sharif met Friday with Ethiopian Ambassador Yibtalal Amero in Khartoum and agreed to prepare for a third round of talks between the two countries through the joint committee.
The committee, which last met in December, has failed to reach consensus.
Sudan wants its border to match the description indicated in the 1902 Agreement signed between Ethiopian and Great Britain, which was occupying Sudan at the time.
However, Ethiopia accuses the Sudanese army of seizing the border area by force, and violating international law and the 1972 agreement between both countries and the Exchange of Notes that requires the status quo to be respected until the dispute is resolved amicably.
