By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
November 21, 2022 (NAIROBI) – Ethiopian Prime Minier, Abiy Ahmed, on Monday discussed bilateral relations with Ibrahim Gabir a member of Sudan’s military-led Transitional Sovereign Council who is touring the IGAD countries.
According to the Office of the Ethiopian Prime Minier, Abiy Ahmed and the visiting Sudanese delegation led by General Gabir discussed bilateral and issues of mutual concern.
The meeting comes one day after Sudanese and Ethiopian spy agencies signed an agreement to increase intelligence sharing on counter-terrorism and crime between the two countries.
Director of the National Intelligence and Security Services of Ethiopia (NISS) Temesgen Tiruneh Dinku on Sunday concluded a two-day visit to Khartoum where he held talks with his Sudanese counterpart Ahmed Ibrahim Mufadal Director of General Intelligence Service (GIS).
Sudan’s deputy military leader, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hameti) also met the Ethiopian official on Sunday. The director of Ethiopian intelligence briefed General Daglo on the late developments in his country following a peace agreement signed between the federal government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) aimed to end the two-year conflict.
Gabir further briefed Ahmed about a road map prepared by Sudan, the Chairman of IGAD, to activate the role of the ea African bloc in the areas of security, economic integration, and expanding the cooperation with non-traditional partners, read, a atement released by the Sovereign Council in Khartoum.
Also, the Sudanese senior official informed the Ethiopian prime minier of the talks with the Forces for Freedom and Change to reore a civilian government.
In recent years, relations between Sudan and Ethiopia soured over an ongoing border dispute, as well as a fallout from the Horn country’s controversial mega-dam project.
Relations between the two neighbours were further rained in December 2020, one month after the outbreak of conflict in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region after Sudan deployed its forces along the disputed border with Ethiopia and took full control of the conteed Al-Fashaqa area.
The land dispute emming from Sudan taking control of up to 60 kilometres of land deep inside Ethiopia, has been worsening as Sudan alleges that the area was previously annexed by its neighbour.
Currently, both countries are trying to reeablish a cosy relationship amid exiing disputes.
Leaders of the two countries have recently met on several occasions and discussed on a range of bilateral and regional issues of common concern.
La October, the Sudanese Head of ate and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan paid a visit to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa where he held talks with Prime Minier Abiy Ahmed.
Abiy and al-Burhan held the discussions on the sidelines of the Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa, which is took place in Bahir Dar city of the Amhara region.
La week, the two leaders met on the sidelines of the UN climate change summit in Egypt la week and at an IGAD meeting held in Kenya on July 5, 2022.
In a speech to the House of People’s Representatives la week, Prime Minier Abiy Ahmed cleared Sudan from involvement in the war in northern Ethiopia.
Abiy said that Sudan had no role in the Tigray conflict which resumed on 24 Augu that ended a six-months truce committed by both warring parties.
Previously, Addis Ababa has been accusing Khartoum of sheltering and aiding Tigray fighters, an allegation the latter denies.
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