Ethiopia will be withdrawing its peacekeeping troops from the Abyei region in the coming days, the government of Sudan has announced.
In a statement seen by APA on Wednesday the Sudanese foreign ministry said the United Nations agreed to replace the Ethiopian peacekeeping force deployed in Abyei with troops from other countries contributing to UN peacekeeping operations.
In April Khartoum had asked the United Nations to withdraw the Ethiopian force from the border town on the grounds that Addis Ababa was no longer a neutral party.
“It is not conceivable to accept Ethiopian forces deployed in the strategic depth of Sudan while the Ethiopian troops are massing on the eastern borders of Sudan,” said the Sudanese Foreign minister on 6 April.
On Monday, Sudanese Foreign Minister Maryam Al-Sadiq held a virtual meeting with the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga with the participation of U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix and the head of UN Department of Operational Support Atul Khare.
In a statement released after the meeting, the Foreign ministry announced that the meeting discussed the situation in Abyei and the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).
“It was agreed to withdraw the Ethiopian component from the UNISFA during the next three months at the request of Sudan,” added the statement.
MG/as/APA