KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 18 (UPI) -- An African Union mediator is trying to bring Sudan and South Sudan back to negotiations after an outbreak of fighting between the countries, officials said.
Thabo Mbeki, the AU mediator and former president of South Africa, arrived in Khartoum Thursday evening, the Sudan Tribune reported.
Mbeki's effort to restart talks comes after negotiations broke down in early April and fighting broke out over Heglig, a disputed oil-producing area.
The AU and the U.N. Security Council have both issued resolutions calling on Sudan and South Sudan to cease hostilities, pull troops out of contested areas and return to negotiations to reach settlements within three months on oil exports, borders, citizenship and the status of the disputed Abyei.
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Ibrahim Gandour, the secretary of external relations at the ruling National Congress Party in Sudan, said Mbeki would meet with President Omar al-Bashir and Vice-President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, then head to Juba for meetings with South Sudan leaders.
Sudan has said it wants security issues to be a priority in the talks. It points to South Sudan's alleged support for rebels fighting the Sudanese government in border regions of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. South Sudan denies it is supporting the rebels.
The United Nations has said it would consider imposing sanctions unless the border dispute and other issues are resolved within three months, the BBC reported.
South Sudanese troops had taken over the Heglig oilfield, a big source of Sudan's revenue, in April. South Sudan withdrew amid international pressure but has claimed the oilfield is in its territory. The location of the border hasn't been decided.
