Khartoum, Juba to begin withdrawing forces from joint border

Sudan and South Sudan are set to start Sunday withdrawing forces from the joint border, as a first step to implement the agreement signed by the two sides. "Sudan and South Sudan will today (Sunday) begin immediate withdrawal of their forces from the joint border to make it a safe demilitarized zone," Abdul-Rahim Mohammed Hussein, Sudan's defense minister and head of the delegation to the meetings of the joint political and security mechanism with South Sudan, said at a press conference upon his return to Khartoum from Ethiopia Sunday. He added that the withdrawal of forces would last for a week, pointing out that the joint political and security mechanism would meet on March 17 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to discuss the complaints and monitoring mechanism. According to the official, the last round of meetings was the most successful since the beginning of the talks between the two countries, noting that the two sides discussed papers related to the timetables for implementing the agreements, the security concerns, administrative and logistical matters for the withdrawal monitoring forces, and breaking the link between South Sudan's army and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/northern sector. The two countries signed Friday an agreement of modality on the implementation of the security arrangements in Addis Ababa. The agreement consists of a detailed plan and timetable for the full implementation of all the elements of the agreement on security arrangements, including unconditional withdrawal of all forces to their side of the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone, and the deployment of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM), under the logistical support and protection by the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei. The agreement stipulated the establishment of the safe demilitarized zone and the JBVMM together with the reactivation of the security mechanisms agreed upon before March 10.