Politics
Sudan, South Sudan: UN threatens sanctions – endorses African Union plan
The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution Wednesday threatening non-military sanctions against Sudan and South Sudan if they don’t halt escalating violence on their border and return to negotiations.
China, a major oil buyer from both countries, and Russia traditionally oppose sanctions but voted in favor of the U.S.-drafted resolution after a minor change to the text, a reflection of growing international alarm at the crisis.
China is “always cautious about the use of sanctions” but voted in favor of the resolution, stressing that Beijing is “deeply worried” about deterioration in relations between the two countries,” China’s UN Ambassador Li Baodong said.
The resolution endorses an African Union (AU) roadmap aimed at getting the two countries to step back from the brink of war and resolve their differences.
Li stressed that international community should “refrain from interfering in the mediation efforts of the AU and other regional countries.”
“China has all along maintained that the international community should take an objective, impartial and balanced position on Sudan,” he said.
The resolution condemns repeated cross-border violence between the two sides, including troop movements, the South’s seizure of the oil-rich town of Heglig, and Sudan’s aerial bombings in the South.
