Khartoum, Juba reach understanding on rebels

November 27, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan and South Sudan members of the joint security committee reached an understanding on different complaints and claims related to presence of rebel groups in both countries.

The fifth meeting of the security committee was held in Khartoum yesterday under the chairmanship of Sudan’s chief of military intelligence, Siddig Aamer Hassan, and his southern counterpart, Mac Paul.

Gen. Hassan said complaints and claims between the two sides were the main topic of the fifth meeting and were discussed at length and in a spirit of transparency. He further said the parties agreed on how to deal with, stressing that such complaints are decreasing.

Khartoum and Juba since the independence of South Sudan traded accusations of support to rebel groups. The cooperation agreement of 27 September 2012 provided to establish a buffer zone and to deploy a joint force to monitor the common border.

Despite different reports about the decrease of support or harbouring of rebels, still Khartoum points that the Sudanese insurgents manage to move through the South Sudanese border.

The head of the Sudanese military intelligence said the "meeting tackled the support and harbouring of the negative forces" and the identification of the zero line as well as the operationalisation of the pertaining mechanisms.

He disclosed that the sixth meeting of the joint committee will be held in Juba in mid-January 2014.

Last September, an Ad-hoc Investigation Mechanism (AIM) submitted its report to the African Union Commission about the allegations of support to rebel groups made by the two countries. However, the three – member military panel did not release its report.

Gen. Hassan, on the other hand, said the meeting agreed to release the prisoners of war between the two countries, adding that their number is limited and they are regularly visited by military attaches from both sides.

(ST