U.N. Secretary-General ban Ki-moon on Thursday welcomed the announcement by the governments of Sudan and South Sudan about their decision to resume peace talks in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa next week under the auspices of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel.
"The Secretary-General encourages the parties to reconvene in an atmosphere of goodwill and calls on them to demonstrate the flexibility necessary to reach agreement on outstanding issues in accordance with the guidance and deadlines set by the African Union Peace and Security Council and the U.N. Security Council," Ban's spokesperson said in a statement.
South Sudan declared independence from Sudan in July 2010, six years after the signing of a peace agreement that ended decades of warfare between the North and South. Nevertheless, peace between the two nations has been threatened by recent clashes along their common border and unresolved post-independence issues.
Tensions escalated in recent weeks after South Sudanese forces moved into the oil-producing region of Heglig in Sudan's South Kordofan state before eventually departing. The Sudanese forces had responded to South's aggression by bombing South Sudanese territory.
Ban's spokesperson said that the U.N. chief had reiterated the readiness of the world body to assist the two neighboring African nations implement their agreements and support the mechanisms established by them.
"He stresses the necessity of commencing the work of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism for peace and security along the border and confirms UNISFA's readiness to immediately support its operations," the spokesperson added.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) established the Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNIFSA) in June 2011, following an outbreak of violence after Sudanese troops took control of Abyei - a border area disputed between South Sudan and Sudan. Ensuing fighting led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people in the weeks before South Sudan became an independent State.
Last week, the 15-member UNSC extended UNIFSA's mandate for another six months, and demanded that the two countries finalize the establishment of an administration for the area in line with an agreement signed last year.
In a unanimously adopted resolution in early May, the UNSC determined that the prevailing situation along the border between Sudan and South Sudan constituted "a serious threat to international peace and security." It called on the two countries to immediately end hostilities and resume negotiations, and voiced its intention to take "appropriate measures" if the parties did not comply.
Earlier this week, the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, Ali Al-Za'tari, said that only 5,000 people had returned to Abyei while more than 100,000 remained displaced. He noted that it was "high time" for humanitarian staff to have access to Abyei from Sudan. Currently, international humanitarian staff are only able to get to Abyei if they travel via South Sudan.
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