AU chief, panel officials discuss situation in Sudan's Abyei

Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Jean Ping met in his office at the AUC headquarters here on Wednesday with members of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) to discuss the situation in Sudan's Abyei region.

Former South African president and Chair of the Panel Thabo Mbeki and former Nigerian president Abdulsalami Abubakar were among officials in the discussion.

According to a statement from the AU, during this meeting, the AU chief briefed the members of the panel on his recent visit to Sudan, particularly the encouraging outcome of his deliberations in Khartoum and Juba with both President Omar Hassan Al- Bashir and Vice President and President of the Government of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit, who agreed to seek peaceful solutions to the current crisis in Abyei, with the facilitation of the AUHIP.

The chairperson and the members of the panel also exchanged views on the next practical steps to be taken in order to de-escalate the tension in Abyei and to address the other pending issues between the parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the statement said.

The meeting further discussed other subjects of mutual interest including the situation in Darfur and emphasized the importance of reaching an inclusive and comprehensive agreement under the auspices of the Panel, the statement added.

The main objective of the chairperson’s visit to Sudan was to urge the parties to the CPA to overcome the current difficulties in Abyei through dialogue and successfully conclude the negotiations on the remaining outstanding issues and finalize the post-referendum arrangements.

Source: Xinhua

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