Obama calls on Sudan & South Sudan to end fighting and resume talks

April 20, 2012 (WASHINGTON) – The United States President Barack Obama made a personal appeal to the governments in Khartoum and Juba to end the worst fighting since the country split into two.

Last week South Sudan forces entered the oil-rich region of Heglig and only on Friday did Khartoum announce that it has managed to recapture it after expelling defeating Juba’s forces. The latter denied that it was beaten and claimed that it has ordered a withdrawal to commence immediately and to be completed within three days.

South Sudan has brushed aside all international calls to withdraw over the last ten days and also laid claim to Heglig saying it is part of Unity State. However it left the door open for pulling out on condition that Khartoum ceases aerial bombardments, withdraw from Abyei and for UN to deploy peacekeepers to the contested area.

Negotiations on post-independence issues were halted in the wake of the fighting and Khartoum now says that it will not resume unless Juba compensates it for any damages that is widely believed to have occurred in Heglig oil facilities which produces half Sudan’s crude.

Obama warned that progress made by the two countries toward peace and prosperity was now “at risk of unraveling” and urged the two nations to step back from the brink.

“You still have a chance to avoid being dragged back into war, which only leads to one place; more suffering; more refugees; more death; more lost dreams for you and your children,” Obama said in a videotaped message to the people of the two countries.

He outlined steps the two sides need to take to de-escalate the situation.

“We know what needs to happen — the government of Sudan must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments,” Obama said.

“Likewise, the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan and it must cease its military actions across the border,” he added.

The US also directed a warning to “all those who are fighting, including in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, must recognize that there is no military solution”.

South Kordofan has been the scene of continuous battles since June 2011 between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and rebels from the Sudan people Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N). The conflict began in the wake of elections that saw incumbent Ahmed Haroun winning against SPLM-N candidate Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu.

The SPLM-N accused the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) of rigging the vote did not recognise the outcome. Later, fighting broke out after the SPLM-N alleged that SAF sought to forcibly disarm them. But Khartoum accused the SPLM-N of triggering the fighting after attacking a police stations in South Kordofan and seizing weapons.

Later fighting spread to the Blue Nile and Sudanese president ordered the sacking of its governor Malik Agar who heads the SPLM-N. Both sides traded accusations on how who fired the first shot.

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White House | President Obama’s Message to the People of Sudan and South Sudan | 20 April 2012