North and south Sudan agree to border talks over disputed region

(CNN) — Northern and Southern Sudan have signed an agreement on border security in the midst of tensions over the disputed Abyei border region, the African Union said Tuesday.

The deal, negotiated in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Monday, is designed to “ensure that the two parties can maintain stable and secure relations,” the African Union statement said. “The agreement also establishes a Common Border Zone between North and South Sudan, which is to be demilitarized and jointly monitored and patrolled.”

The deal was signed by top military and political officials, and brokered by the African Union, which counts as its members every nation in the continent except Morocco.

Additional negotiations will be held within a week, the statement said.

Last week, the president of the Southern Sudanese government demanded an immediate withdrawal of Sudanese armed forces that occupy Abyei.

Fighting began May 19, when the north accused Southern Sudanese forces of ambushing a U.N. convoy carrying northern troops to Goli, killing at least 22 soldiers.

Sudanese troops attacked and took control of Abyei in retaliation, a move condemned by the United States as a breach of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which put an official end

The residents of Southern Sudan overwhelmingly voted for independence in January, with the autonomous region scheduled to become an independent state in early July.

CNN’s Jenifer Fenton contributed to this report