Ban voices concern over tensions between Sudan and South Sudan

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced deep concern over continuing tensions along the border between Sudan and South Sudan, as well as the current crisis over oil, saying that the situation represented a worrying deterioration in the relationship between the two countries.

The UN fully supported the efforts of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to resolve all outstanding issues between the two countries “based on the concepts of mutual viability, security and peaceful coexistence,” said a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Secretary-General.

Mr. Ban strongly urged the two parties to do everything possible to reach agreement in their current negotiations in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, under the auspices of AUHIP, to defuse the crisis over the sharing of oil revenues, and address other contentious issues that require immediate resolution, according to the statement.

“The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Haile Menkerios, remains on the ground, engaged to assist the negotiations in collaboration with the AUHIP,” it added.

South Sudan became independent from Sudan last July after southerners voted overwhelmingly early last year to secede after decades of a military campaign for self-determination.

There are, however, disagreements over some areas of the border and the sharing of oil revenues that remain unresolved.