Ethiopia and Sudan military generals meet over border crisis

ADDIS ABABA - Top military generals from Ethiopia National Defense Forces [ENDF] and Sudanese army met on Saturday over peace along their common borders, state-owned Fana reported, in one of the dramatic efforts to bolster mutual cooperation in the Horn of Africa.

The high-level military delegations from both countries met at the city of Bahir Dar where they engaged in serious deliberations following years of conflict between the two nations, some of which rarely go unnoticed due to small magnitude, but whose outcome has often been devastating.

Deputy Head of Office of the chief administrator of the Amhara region Erzik Issa said the two countries share the same culture and economy, and partially language and religion, adding that peace was necessary for maximum benefit from either side of the border.

The recent visit of Sudanese investors to different parts of Ethiopia shows how far the two nations are moving forward to toughen their relations through promoting economic integration, he added, arguing that there was a need to sustain peace efforts across the border.

Head of Ethiopian high-level military delegation, Brig.-Gen Mulualem Admasu, and his Sudan’s counterpart, Maj.-Gen Saleh Abdela Issac vowed to work together to ensure peace along with border areas.

Besides the cross-border crisis between the two nations, they have also been struggling internally due to escalating political differences, which have often led to the loss of lives. Sudan, which signed a deal between the transitional government and various rebel groups in Juba last week, has been struggling since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir.

The Sudanese strongman was ousted in April 2019, following months of protests across the country. Since then, the country has been under the firm grip of the military and civilian government, which is planning for a transition through a popular vote in the coming months.

For Ethiopia, things haven't been different either due to persistent ethnic tensions some of which have often degenerated into a fierce fight. The Oromo region was Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed comes from is the worse affected than any other region.

Critics argue that Dr. Ahmed has significantly changed by embracing autocracy, despite showing signs of promoting democracy in the region, something which contributed to his Nobel Peace Prize victory in 2019, contrary to the expectations of many people across the world.

The military talks also come amid brewing tensions over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam along the Blue Nile, which Sudan and Egypt argue will contribute to desertification. However, a defiant Ethiopia has continued with the project against advice from the African Union.

GAROWE ONLINE