26 September 2012
Last updated at 23:22 GMT
The presidents of the two countries have been locked in talks for four days
But a number of key issues remain unresolved, including disputed regions.
The two countries were pushed to the brink of war earlier this year.
After fighting over oil facilities and disputed land broke out, the United Nations threatened both sides with sanctions if they did not reach a comprehensive agreement.
Limited agreement African Union mediators have yet to confirm that an agreement has been made, but President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan are expected to sign a deal on Thursday morning.
Few details were released, but negotiators for both sides said that a demilitarised border buffer zone between the two countries had been agreed.
The prospective deal therefore falls short of the comprehensive agreement called for by the UN.
When South Sudan gained independence in July 2011, it obtained two-thirds of the former country's oil while Sudan retained the processing and export facilities.
In January, the South shut down oil production, accusing Sudan of stealing its oil, and the two countries' economies have been seriously damaged as a result.
South Sudan, where people chiefly follow the Christian faith or traditional indigenous religions, fought for decades with mainly Muslim Sudan.
The presidents of the two countries have been locked in talks for four days
Sudan
and South Sudan have reached a deal on border security and oil
production that will allow oil exports from South Sudan through Sudan to
resume, say spokesmen for both sides.
The leaders of the two neighbouring countries made the
partial breakthrough after four days of talks in the Ethiopian capital,
Addis Ababa.But a number of key issues remain unresolved, including disputed regions.
The two countries were pushed to the brink of war earlier this year.
After fighting over oil facilities and disputed land broke out, the United Nations threatened both sides with sanctions if they did not reach a comprehensive agreement.
Limited agreement African Union mediators have yet to confirm that an agreement has been made, but President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan are expected to sign a deal on Thursday morning.
Few details were released, but negotiators for both sides said that a demilitarised border buffer zone between the two countries had been agreed.
Main disputes between the two Sudans
- Transit fees South Sudan should pay Sudan to use its oil pipelines
- Demarcating the border
- Both sides claim Abyei
- The rights of each other's citizens now in a foreign country - there are estimated to be 500,000 southerners in Sudan and 80,000 Sudanese in South Sudan
- Each accuses the other of supporting rebel groups on its territory
They also said that an economic agreement had been reached to allow South Sudan's stalled oil production to be restarted.
But a solution was not found to the disputed flashpoint
region of Abyei, or on a series of border zones claimed by both
countries.The prospective deal therefore falls short of the comprehensive agreement called for by the UN.
When South Sudan gained independence in July 2011, it obtained two-thirds of the former country's oil while Sudan retained the processing and export facilities.
In January, the South shut down oil production, accusing Sudan of stealing its oil, and the two countries' economies have been seriously damaged as a result.
South Sudan, where people chiefly follow the Christian faith or traditional indigenous religions, fought for decades with mainly Muslim Sudan.
Sudan: A country divided
Show regions
Both Sudan and the South are reliant on their oil revenues,
which account for 98% of South Sudan's budget. But the two countries
cannot agree how to divide the oil wealth of the former united state.
Some 75% of the oil lies in the South but all the pipelines run north.
It is feared that disputes over oil could lead the two neighbours to
return to war.
No comments:
Post a Comment