AU expresses dismay over Sudans’ disputes

The African Union (AU) has expressed Africas deep disappointment at the failure of Sudan and South Sudan to build on the goodwill of Africa and the rest of the international community, calling them to settle disputes within three months.It said the countries failed to build on the achievements they have already made to address their post-secession relations, and failed to live up to their stated commitment to the principle of two viable state in peace with one another, and create the necessary conditions of peace, security and stability to meet the most basic needs of their peoples.In the Communiqué issued at the end of a meeting on Tuesday, the AU Peace and Security Council expressed deep concern at the failure of the parties to implement agreements that they themselves have freely entered into.The council decided to adopt the roadmap for implementation by both Sudan and South Sudan, in order to ease the current tension, facilitate the resumption of negotiations over post-secession relations and the normalization of their relations.The council urged the parties to unconditionally resume negotiations, under the auspices of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and with the support of the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), within two weeks, and settle their disputes over oil, citizenship and boundary issues within three months.It further decided that failure by either party to implement the provisions of the roadmap, or to cooperate in good faith with the Panel towards the conclusion of the negotiations on the outstanding issues will result in councils taking appropriate measures, as provided for in the Peace and Security Council Protocol and the Constitutive Act of the AU, and seeking the support of the UN Security Council and all AU partners, according to the Communiqué.