Eritrea, Sudan restore diplomatic ties

Eritrea and Sudan on Monday signed a joint communique to restore diplomatic relations and reopen border crossing points between the two countries, the Eritrean News Agency (ERINA) reported. It said in accordance with the Doha Agreement of May 1999, the two countries agreed to proceed with the normalisation of relations and hold a meeting of a joint ministerial committee from both nations in Asmara later this month [January] to look into issues such as reopening of the border. “These meetings have given us an initial basis from which to proceed toward the full restoration of ties between our respective countries,” ERINA quoted a senior Eritrean foreign ministry official Hamed Himid as saying. The Sudanese embassy in Asmara which was being occupied by the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA) was reportedly handed over to the Sudan government on Tuesday. Eritrea and Sudan severed diplomatic ties in 1994.