Ethiopia, Sudan agree to ramp up security and information cooperation

Addis Ababa, October 14, 2022 (FBC) – The Ethiopian National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and its Sudanese counterpart, the General Intelligence Service (GIS), discussed and reached an agreement to scale up cooperation and operations in ensuring peace and stability in the East African region.

NISS confirmed that a delegation led by the Director General of the General Intelligence Service of the Republic of Sudan, Lieutenant General Ahmed Ibrahim Mufadel, visited its facility on Friday.

In the meeting after the visit, both sides discussed the current security and intelligence issues of the two countries and the Horn of Africa region.

The director general of NISS, Temesgen Tiruneh, said that Ethiopia and Sudan share interchangeable culture, language, religion and a wide border,

Hence, the relationship between the people of the two countries has been built on a strong foundation, Temesgen stated.

The benefits from the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will also be used to strengthen the bond, the DG noted.

Temesgen said that NISS and its Sudanese counterpart, GIS, will collaborate to reduce the effects of cross-border crimes and illegal money, vehicle and human trafficking by strengthening cooperation in capacity building and information exchange.

He indicated that an agreement has been reached to expand the horizons of cooperation to ensure the safety of the people of the two countries, who are bound by blood, and to increase their benefits to a higher level by ramping up information exchanges and joint operations to prevent terrorism, which is a major threat in the region.

DG Temesgen asserted that the government firmly believes Ethiopia will continue to be an integral strategic partner of Sudan.

The Director General of GIS, Ahmed Ibrahim Mufadel, on his part, indicated that their visit to NISS helped them witness the successful implementation of the reform process.

As Ethiopia and Sudan have many common issues, the information institutions of the two countries will strengthen their cooperation to eliminate common security threats, he said.

According to Ahmed Ibrahim, the discussion also focused on ways to prevent illegal activities including arms trafficking in the border between Ethiopia and Sudan.

He indicated that an agreement has also been reached to increase the benefit of the people of the two countries by ensuring peace in the border areas and to increase the importance of strengthening economic ties.

The agreement between NISS and GIS mainly aims to raise their cooperation and partnership to a higher level by setting up permanent joint platforms, NISS told Fana Broadcasting Corporate.