US welcomes troop withdrawal plan between Sudan, South Sudan

The United States on Saturday welcomed the troop withdrawal agreement between Sudan and South Sudan, urging an immediate implementation. "We commend the parties, the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei for their continued efforts to implement the African Union Roadmap and UN Security Council Resolution 2046," the State Department said in a statement of the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) agreement. At the same time, the State Department said the parties should begin the immediate implementation of all nine September 27 Cooperation Agreements. "Each of these agreements should be implemented independently without conditions or delay," the State Department said. Sudan and South Sudan signed the agreement Friday to soon withdraw their respective military forces from a demilitarized zone between the two African countries, officials from both nations said. South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July 2011, following a popular referendum and a war that left nearly 2 million people dead. But the two nations have remained at odds on some issues, including defining their borders and oil exports.