UN envoy witnesses Chad and Sudan work towards restoring normal relations

Chad and Sudan pledged to exchange ambassadors as a step towards restoring normal diplomatic relations between the African neighbours, at a meeting attended by the United Nations envoy to the region this weekend.

The 5th Meeting of the Contact Group, which is tasked with implementing the peace deal – known as the Dakar Agreement – ensuring a halt to hostilities along the border separating Chad and Sudan, was held in Asmara, Eritrea.

Victor Angelo, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR), was one of the participants in the Asmara meeting.

The meeting heard and discussed a report by experts on defence, security and intelligence offering guidelines for the provision of budget, logistics and the organization of command centres to the observer force to be deployed on the Chad-Sudan border.

The Contact Group, which consisted of government ministers from the region, including representatives of Eritrea, Libya, the Republic of Congo, Chad, Senegal and Sudan, expressed its appreciation to President Isaias Afewerki of Eritrea for his efforts in the promotion of peace and security in the region.