USA Calls For Peaceful Resolution In Sudan

Following the ongoing conflict in Abyei and now Southern Kordofan, the United States President is deeply concerned by the crisis that is unfolding in Sudan and the assaults on innocent civilians; as South Sudan approaches Independence.

From the excerpts of his audio statement from the white house read on the 14th of June 2011, President Barrack Obama assured Sudanese people that the United States was working to end the violence and to protect innocent civilians.

Obama quoted, “There is no military solution, the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan must live up to their responsibilities. The Government of Sudan must prevent a further escalation of this crisis by ceasing its military actions immediately, including aerial bombardments, forced displacements and campaigns of intimidation.”

He said that negotiations were underway that could offer a path to peace. “Both sides must agree to end the violence; to allow free movement of aid workers and relief supplies to help those in need; to fulfill their commitments under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, and to resolve their differences peacefully,” said President Obama.

Obama told the Sudanese leaders that if they fulfilled their obligations and chose peace, then his government would take the steps they have pledged towards normal relations. “However, those who flout their international obligations will face more pressure and isolation, and they will be held accountable for their actions,” he warned.

President Obama narrated how Sudan had sacrificed its people and that it was time to show true leadership and embrace peaceful resolutions. “The Sudanese people have come too far, and sacrificed too much, to see their dreams of a better future slip from their grasp. Now is the time for Sudanese leaders to show the courage and vision that true leadership demands. Now is the time for Sudanese leaders, north and south, to choose peace,” said Obama.

The president’s remarks followed US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton readout note to media houses after her meetings with Nafie Ali Nafie, Presidential Advisor, Government of Sudan, and Salva Kiir, President of the Government of South Sudan on June 13 in Addis Ababa in the context of ongoing negotiations under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel, AUHIP and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Secretary Clinton pressed for swift agreement on new security arrangements in Abyei — including the deployment of Ethiopian peacekeepers under a UN mandate – that would facilitate the withdrawal of Sudan Armed Forces from the province.

The Secretary pledged that the United States would support effective arrangements as soon as they are agreed by the parties, Ethiopia, and the AUHIP.

Secretary Clinton also pressed for swift agreement to end the fighting in Southern Kordofan. The Secretary made clear that the two sides must immediately cease pursuit of a military solution, and instead to pursue a negotiated set of political and security understandings that will apply in Southern Kordofan after the expiration of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The Secretary called on the parties to provide unrestricted humanitarian access, including the use of airports, and to permit the free movement of the United Nations Mission in Sudan as outlined in its Status of Forces Agreement.

To both parties, Secretary Clinton emphasized that they should not miss this opportunity to forge the durable peace the Sudanese people deserve.

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