Obama in video urges truce between Sudan, South
President Barack Obama urged Sudan and South Sudan to end their fighting and begin negotiations to settle the intensifying conflict between the newly separated countries.
In a video message recorded in the White House and released late Friday, Obama put part of the onus on the government of Sudan, which he said “must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments.” He said heated words between the countries had raised the risk of war at a time when neither side can afford continued conflict.
Obama did not let South Sudan off the hook either. “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,” Obama said.
“And all those who are fighting including in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile must recognize that there is no military solution. The only way to achieve real and lasting security is to resolve your differences through negotiation,” Obama said.
The two countries have been edging toward full-scale war in a dispute over sharing oil revenue. They also continue to fight over their disputed border. South Sudan seceded from Sudan last year, part of a peace treaty in 2005, which ended decades of war that killed 2 million people and was supposed to end the long-running conflict there.
“The presidents of Sudan and South Sudan must have the courage to return to the table,” Obama said.
His message, released by the State Department, was broadcast in both Arabic and English.
“Today I want to speak directly to you, the people of Sudan and the people of South Sudan,” Obama said in the video. “In recent years, against great odds, you’ve made remarkable progress.” He warned that “now all that progress is at risk of unraveling.”
Obama described the situation as a choice. “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,” he said.
His appeal came after Sudan said its military had chased South Sudanese troops out of a contested region. In a speech at a rally in the capital, President Omar al-bashir called South Sudanese leaders “insects” and dismissed their statements that they were voluntarily withdrawing troops from the disputed Heglig oil field.
The United States, the United Nations and the African Union condemned South Sudan for sending troops into Heglig earlier this month and driving the two countries to the brink of war. But South Sudan, which calls the area Pantho, said it considered the area part of the South.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, an international organization, ruled in 2009 that Heglig was outside the borders of the contested area of Abyei that lies between Sudan and South Sudan, and thus belonged to the government in Khartoum.
Negotiations between the two countries over their unresolved disputes that were being mediated by the African Union broke down in Ethiopia earlier this month.
Obama said the presidents of Sudan and South Sudan must have the courage to resume negotiations and resolve the disputes peacefully.
“You will never be at peace if your neighbor feels threatened. You will never see development and progress if your neighbor refuses to be your partner in trade and commerce. It’s easier to start wars than to end them,” he said.