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Peace on the horizon between Sudan, South Sudan. Troop pullout from Abyei to begin
Sudan’s army will begin pulling out of the contested region of Abyei from Tuesday, as demanded by the United Nations, the army spokesman said.
“We will start tomorrow and we will invite journalists to see this redeployment,” Sawarmi Khaled Saad said in a statement to reporters.
The pullout, ending a year-long occupation, will begin on the same day negotiators from Sudan and South Sudan are to meet in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to resume talks led by African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki.
Saad said Mbeki asked Sudan, to withdraw its forces from the area.
“Sudan decided to redeploy the troops out of Abyei area to offer a good environment for the talks,” he said, adding that Sudan requested a “guarantee” that the area is part of its territory.
Norway, which helped to oversee implementation of a 2005 peace deal that ended Sudan’s 22-year civil war, welcomed the pullout.
“It’s a very important gesture for the forthcoming negotiations,” ambassador Jens-Petter Kjemprud told AFP.
