Khartoum, Jul 18 (IANS): Sudan has decided to open the Galabat crossing on the border with Ethiopia in an effort to build confidence and resolve dispute between the two countries.

"As part of the endeavors by the leadership in the two countries to address the border issues, the security and defence council decided to open the Galabat border crossing as of today," Sudan's Security and Defense Council said on Sunday in a statement.

The Council also decided to step up border monitoring and improve coordination between the two countries to stop the movement of armed elements across the border, according to the statement.

On June 26, Sudan decided to close the Galabat crossing, saying the Ethiopian Army had killed seven Sudanese soldiers and a citizen on the joint eastern border, a charge which Ethiopia denied.

Since September 2020, the Sudan-Ethiopia border has been witnessing rising tensions and deadly skirmishes between the two sides, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sudan has accused the Ethiopian military of backing farmers' seizure of Sudanese lands in the disputed al-Fashaga district on the border of the two neighbours.