Sudan, S Sudan presidents meet for talks

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir have met for talks aimed at easing tensions between the two sides.

The two met on Saturday to move forward stalled negotiations on security, oil, and border agreements, as well as the Abyei region, claimed by both sides.

The meeting in Ethiopia, hosted by Prime Minister Hailmariam Desalegn, comes months after the two sides came close to war in April following accusations that Khartoum had bombed Juba.

The two sides are to discuss the implementation of a deal reached last September.

In September, Khartoum and Juba endorsed an African Union-mediated agreement in Addis Ababa in a bid to end a border conflict. However, they failed to put the deal into effect.

The agreement advocates the creation of a jointly-monitored demilitarized buffer zone and a resumption of South Sudanese oil exports through northern pipelines.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 as part of a 2005 peace treaty, which ended decades of war between the two sides.