(MENAFN- IANS) Khartoum, Oct 6 (IANS) Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to protect oil facilities and the central stations of the pipelines transporting South Sudan's oil to Port Sudan in eastern Sudan, the two sides said in a joint statement on Monday.

The two nations pledged to enhance technical capacity, boost oil production, and ensure the protection of oil fields and key pumping stations, the statement added.

They also agreed to continue cooperation on counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, and border security, Xinhua news agency reported.

As part of efforts to deepen economic ties, the two countries announced plans to establish a joint economic committee to promote collaboration across various sectors, including trade, investment, energy, oil, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure, and public-private partnerships.

They proposed the creation of a free trade zone at Port Sudan, aimed at facilitating cross-border trade and investment, supporting the oil industry and its supply chains, and streamlining the movement of transit goods to South Sudan.

The agreements were reached during an official visit to Sudan by South Sudan's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Monday Semaya Kumba, from Saturday to Monday.

During his stay in Port Sudan, Kumba held talks with Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, and other senior officials.

Oil exports remain South Sudan's main revenue source, and the country depends on Sudan to transport crude to global markets, with Sudan receiving transit fees in return.

Sudan remains engulfed in a civil conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which erupted in April 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and deepened one of the world's most severe humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, widespread flooding caused by heavy rains in South Sudan has killed 19 people and affected an estimated 639,225 others across 26 counties in six states, a United Nations (UN) humanitarian agency said on Friday.

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