ADDIS ABABA – The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan signed economic and security agreements Thursday that will allow a resumption of oil exports from South Sudan. The two countries also reached deals for a demilitarized zone between their borders and a cessation of all hostilities that brought the countries to the brink of all-out war just a few months ago. Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir and South Sudan President Salva Kiir signed the agreement in Ethiopia's capital, where they have been holding talks since Sunday. The talks were originally scheduled to last only a day. The sides could not agree on a shared border or on how to address the disputed region of Abyei. Both sides have been under pressure from the UN Security Council to resolve the outstanding issues or risk sanctions. South Sudan broke away from Sudan last year after an independence vote that was the culmination of a 2005 peace treaty that ended decades of war that killed more than two million people. But the border was never defined, and South Sudan suspended oil production in January after accusing Sudan of stealing its crude, which is transported in pipelines through Sudan. Border clashes escalated in April when South Sudan troops took over an oil town in a region Sudan claims as its own. With the deal sealed Thursday, officials say only “technical works” remain for oil exports to resume soon. Some officials have said it will take months to clear the pipelines and get oil flowing again. The security agreement was signed by the two countries' defense ministers, while lead negotiators inked economic and trade agreements. AU mediators say the two sides also signed a deal to let their citizens freely move between, reside in and work in both countries. The freeze on oil production has cost both countries millions of dollars in lost revenue. An economic crisis sent inflation soaring and pushed food prices beyond the reach of ordinary citizens, said Jose Barahona, the top official for the aid group Oxfam in South Sudan. – AP
