Ethiopian, Sudanese leaders hold regional security talks

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and visiting Sudanese counterpart, Abdullah Hamdok, on Sunday called for an emergency summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

Prime Minister Abiy said in a tweet that he met the Sudanese Prime Minister and his delegation on Sunday.

Good discussions with @SudanPMHamdok and his delegation this morning, during which we reached an understanding on various issues that will further augment cooperation between our two countries. pic.twitter.com/kXpIyDDyFK

— Abiy Ahmed Ali 🇪🇹 (@AbiyAhmedAli) December 13, 2020

“Both sides expressed the long-standing relationship between the two countries on the basis of further strengthening the bilateral corporation,” the office of the Ethiopian prime minister said.

The office said the bilateral meeting ended with an understanding reached on a number of issues of mutual interest to the two sides.

“The Sudanese side reiterated their solidarity with the government of Ethiopia in the law enforcement operations it has been undertaking,” the Ethiopian prime minister’s office said in the tweet.

Ethiopia has been battling the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the former dominant political party in the now defunct Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) which has since transformed into the Prosperity Party.

The military operation led to the federal government forces entering the Tigray region in an attempt to oust the TPLF from power.

The military hostilities in the region continue and access to the region remains limited, with UN agencies decrying their inability to reach hundreds of thousands of local residents caught up in the military crisis.

The Sudanese delegation discussed the need for the resumption of talks between Sudan, Egypt, and Ethiopia on the Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) project, the Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) reported.

The two sides discussed the need for an emergency Summit and the resumption of talks on a joint border commission.