US, Norway, Britain concerned about tension between Sudans

The foreign ministers of the United States, Norway and Britain on Friday expressed deep concern about the heightened tension between Sudan and South Sudan, calling on the two neighbors to implement fully the deals they reached in September last year. "We are deeply concerned at the heightened tension between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan," said a joint statement by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and British Foreign Secretary William Hague, whose countries are collectively known as the Sudan Troika. The ministers urged both countries to "comply fully" with the agreements they reached on Sept. 27 in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, in which they agreed to stop any support for the rebel movements in each other's territories and withdraw their forces completely from the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone. Sudan suspended the exportation of South Sudan's oil through its territories on Sunday, in retaliation for what it called the South's continued support for the rebels of the Revolutionary Front Alliance which is fighting the Sudanese government in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. "We urge the government of Sudan to reconsider its position and call on both governments to continue constructive dialogue on implementation of these agreements, especially on oil and security," the Troika ministers said. "We call on both governments to cease any interference in the internal affairs of the other state," they added. "In particular, we condemn any military support being provided to rebel movements in Sudan or South Sudan." South Sudan won independence from Sudan in July 2011, but they have been engaged in regular border conflicts ever since.