Khartoum – Asharq Al-Awsat – A high-ranking Sudanese delegation headed to Dubai on Thursday to discuss UAE’s initiative to mediate in the border and dam disputes between Khartoum and Addis Ababa.
Sudan’s transitional cabinet backed the proposal for Emirati mediation after it had been studied at ministry level, Information Minister Hamza Baloul said.
This comes as tensions surrounding the control of farmland in Al-Fashqa, on the border, have escalated in recent months, while talks over the operation of the GERD are deadlocked.
In January, a UAE high-ranking ministerial delegation visited Khartoum to resolve the border issue between Sudan and Ethiopia in an attempt to converge the views between the three countries involved in the GERD dispute.
Khartoum has repeatedly urged Ethiopia to officially recognizes Sudanese sovereignty over the Al-Fashaqa area and demarcates the border.
Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Sudan Ambassador Donald Booth is expected to arrive in Khartoum on Sunday for a two-day visit, as part of a regional tour, which will include Egypt, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic.
Booth will discuss with Sudanese officials developments on GERD talks, as well as the democratic transition in the country, SUNA reported.