Obama Urges South Sudan and Sudan to End Strife
Source: NY Times
President 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, Mr. Obama put part of the onus on the government of Sudan, which he said "must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments." He said the heated words between the countries had raised the risk of war at a time when neither side can afford continued conflict.
Mr. 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," Mr. 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 that was supposed to end the long-running conflict there.
Read more: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/world/africa/obama-urges-sudan-and-south-sudan-to-end-fighting.xml