Ethiopia, South Sudan spy chiefs sign security cooperation agreements

Ethiopia and South Sudan inked a security cooperation agreement on Wednesday to combat terrorism, armed organizations, and organized crime in the area.

The agreement was signed by Temesgen Tiruneh, Director General of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), and Akor Kor Cook, Director General of South Sudan’s Internal Security Bureau.

According to the agreement, “the nations would collaborate to control and take action against terrorist organizations, rebel forces, armed groups, and organized criminals who have taken on the task to disturb peace and security in border regions and destabilize the East African region.”

Furthermore, the two nations will collaborate to combat illicit weapons trafficking, border-area organized crime, drug trafficking, economic fraud, and information technology-related crimes.

Tut Gatluak Manime, South Sudan’s Security Affairs Adviser, said that the agreement binds the two nations to exchange information, conduct exchange visits, and improve training, capacity development, and information on immigration, counter-terrorism, and border crossing offenses.

“We communicated the message of unwavering collaboration and coordination of topics of common interest and benefit to the populations of both nations,” he added.

According to Ethiopia’s intelligence agency, the deal would boost Ethiopia and South Sudan’s strategic alliance.

The two nations also agreed to collaborate with South Sudan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Civil, Citizenship, Passport, and Immigration Registration Directorate.

This will allow the two nations to collaborate to ensure that their people’s activities are peaceful and that their freedom is safeguarded.

The agreement will also play an important role in ensuring that actions, particularly at the border, preserve the social and economic advantages of the two nations’ populations.

On Monday, a high-level South Sudanese team headed by Presidential Advisor General Kong Titipip Gatluak, together with top security and civil authorities, toured the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam building site.

Following their tour to the site, the South Sudanese team said that the Nile dam project would play an important role in regional integration by providing power.

“After visiting the GERD building site, we saw that the dam is a gigantic project that can give power to all neighboring nations…

“We’ve witnessed a really large job,” Manime told state media.

The South Sudanese official requested Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt to restart discussions on the Nile dam filling, which had been suspended.

“The dam we are constructing is not just for Ethiopia, but also for Africa,” Ethiopian Defense Minister Abraham Belay remarked. The rumors about the dam and the reality on the ground are diametrically opposed. The river basin nations should recognize that this dam benefits everyone. For example, our Grand Renaissance Dam features two bottom outputs for downstream nations so that they may obtain water all year.”