Deputy chief of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereignty Council Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo stressed the need for continued coordination and cooperation with South Sudan to build trust and exchange views on how to provide a solid basis for the final solution for the dispute over the Abyei area. Stressing that resolving the dispute surrounding Abyei is a priority that cannot be delayed, Dagalo said: “Our goal is to attain constructive outcomes that can set the course for a just and enduring peace.” Sudan and South Sudan are in dispute over the oil-rich region located between Sudan’s Kordofan state and the Red Sea state in South Sudan. The conflict over Abyei has not been resolved since 2011. An agreement was reached between the two countries to grant the region a temporary status of quasi-independence with the two countries retaining sovereignty until the dispute over its ownership is resolved. Last year, the countries agreed to establish a joint administration to oversee the region. At a joint meeting between Sudan and South Sudan on Abyei, Dagalo highlighted the critical conditions that Sudan is experiencing. He explained that holding the meeting was a priority in terms of appreciating and shedding light on the sensitivity of the Abyei issue and the human suffering that the communities are going through. Dagalo also noted the importance of the meeting reaching positive results to put Abyei on the path of just and sustainable peace. “Continued coordination and cooperation between the parties represents a significant opportunity to build trust and exchange opinions on how to provide a solid foundation for a final solution to the issue,” he said. Dagalo, who also chairs the Supreme Committee for Political and Administrative Oversight of Abyei, stressed that the meeting demonstrated the capability of both countries to collaborate towards achieving peace and stability for the citizens of the region.