Ban urges leaders of Sudan and South Sudan to meet to end border clashes

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed his deep concern over the continued fighting along the border between Sudan and South Sudan and urged the two countries’ leaders to meet as soon as possible and ensure a quick end to the conflict.

Mr. Ban reiterated his earlier calls to the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to immediately cease hostilities and implement agreements already reached on security, border monitoring and the disputed Abyei area.

“As both parties have endeavoured to convene a presidential summit, the Secretary-General calls on President [Omar] al-Bashir [of Sudan] and President [Salva] Kiir [of South Sudan] to meet as soon as possible and ensure a quick and fruitful outcome of negotiations,” said a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Concern has been growing over reports of clashes along the two countries’ shared border, with the Security Council warning that the fighting could reignite conflict between the two nations.

The Council last week urged the two governments to exercise maximum restraint and to peacefully address the issues that have fuelled mistrust between them, including differences over oil, violence in the border region, citizenship and Abyei.

Sudan and South Sudan have been in talks aimed at resolving outstanding post-independence issues, but mistrust has persisted. South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July last year, six years after the signing of the peace agreement that ended decades of warfare between the north and the south.