Border talks resumed between Sudan and South Sudan; Nigerian Navy rescues crew of hijacked ship off Lagos port; Sudan calls for cooperation on African space agency; Egypt pledges reforms to attract foreign investment; Roger Lumbala, a Congolese MP, seeks
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    • According to reports, Sudan and South Sudan resumed border talks in Ethiopia with the intention of reaching a deal on 1,800-km long joint border so that the oil exports could be restarted. The talks were held between Deng Alor, a senior member of South Sudan's delegation and the head of Khartoum's delegation. Oil used to provide over half of state revenues in Sudan and accounted for about 98 percent of government income in South Sudan. Following the shutdown, both countries faced soaring inflation and shortage of foreign currency needed to pay for food imports. The U.N. Security Council already fixed September 22 deadline for the two sides to solve their issues or face sanctions.1

    In another development, the oil vessel, MT Abu Dhabi Star that was hijacked on September 4, 2012 by pirates off the Nigerian coast around 14 nautical miles from the Lagos port, was rescued by the Nigerian Navy. All the crew members, including 22 Indian sailors, were reported safe and were taken to a safe port. Piracy offshore of Nigeria and other countries in West Africa's oil-rich Gulf of Guinea has been on increase in recent years, and the region is second only to the waters off Somalia for the risk of pirate attacks. 2

    Addressing a regional conference of communication ministers in Khartoum, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir called for co-operation on an African space agency, which, he said, would “liberate Africa from the technological domination". As per the working document, the agency called ‘AfriSpace’, would enable co-operation among African states in space research and technology and their applications. It adds that AfriSpace would implement a long-term African space policy, recommend "space objectives" to member states and co-ordinate space resources. 3

    During his meeting with US corporate executives, Egypt’s president Mohammed Morsi vowed to carry out tough structural reforms to overhaul his country’s ailing economy and create a better environment for business and investment. US Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides opined that Morsi laid out a broad vision for Egypt that was “wholesome” and “focused”. However, no substantial plan was discussed as to how the economy would be restructured. 4

    In other developments, according to reports, Lambert Mende, the spokesman for the Congolese government, announced that Roger Lumbala, a Congolese MP and former rebel who was wanted by the government on charges of treason, was seeking asylum in the South African embassy in Bujumbura, the Burundian capital. The Congolese government accuses Lumbala of helping Rwanda in supporting a rebellion in eastern Congo that deepened political divisions in the capital Kinshasa. The worsening political chaos undermined President Joseph Kabila's efforts to push reforms in the country. 5

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