South Sudan Proposes Arbitration as Border Talks Falter - Wall Street Journal

By NICHOLAS BARIYO

KAMPALA, Uganda—South Sudan said it wants its border dispute with Sudan referred to the international court of arbitration in The Hague after African Union-mediated talks failed to reach a deal last week, but Sudan dismissed the idea.

Associated Press

Soldiers in South Sudan study a map in May amid border conflicts between the new nation and Sudan to the north.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir said in a statement on Tuesday that Sudan has shown "little willingness" to reach a deal to resolve all outstanding issues—including the settlement of a clear border between the two nations. He accused Sudan of continuing to violate the South's sovereignty and of plundering the country's natural resources.

"Considering how little progress has been made on the border demarcation since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement [in 2005] and considering the urgency of the matter…South Sudan proposes arbitration of borders by the permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague," Mr. Kiir said.

A Sudanese government spokesman accused South Sudan of trying to frustrate the continuing talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and said referring the border dispute to The Hague would "only worsen relations."

The two sides are set to resume talks on June 21. "Both sides have already taken big steps to de-escalate, so there is evidence of commitment" said Michael Woldemariam, professor of international relations and African politics at Boston University. "Since any agreement will involve compromise on both sides of the border, there are likely domestic costs both Juba and Khartoum are eager to postpone."

South Sudan has shut down its 350,000 barrels-a-day oil production since January because of disagreements over oil-transit payments to Sudan.

The countries bowed to international pressure and agreed to resume talks late last month after weeks of deadly clashes along their 1,120-mile, poorly marked border.

The initial round of African Union-mediated talks in Addis Ababa ended last week without an agreement on where to set up a demilitarized zone along the border to ease tensions. Negotiators remain at odds over which map to use to demarcate such a zone.

While Sudan rejected South Sudan's proposed map, accusing the newly independent nation of including several areas that were previously not in dispute, South Sudan also scorned United Nations-prepared maps, saying they weren't drawn up specifically to settle the current dispute.

The two countries are supposed to pull back 6 miles (10 kilometers) from their border to allow the creation of a buffer zone, according to a U.N. Security Council resolution in May.

The U.N. and the AU have given the two sides until Aug. 2 to resolve the disputes or face sanctions.

Meanwhile the AU moved its heads of state summit from Malawi to Addis Ababa after Malawi indicated it wouldn't entertain the attendance of Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges. Among the issues to be discussed at the summit include the Sudanese negotiations.

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