Actions speak louder than words

Presidents Al-Bashir and kiir have engaged in a verbal war.

At a time when both Sudan and South Sudan are claiming they do not want war, it seems that their actions contradict their words and actions speak louder than words.

President Omer Al-Bashir has stressed that by saying, "…in order to redirect resources towards construction and development, we chose peace" he declared. "It is clear, however, that our brothers in South Sudan did not think about the interest of Sudan or South Sudan because the two countries have no interest in continuing the war for it is a lose-lose situation for both sides."

Meanwhile the President of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayadrit has also affirmed that his country does not want war with Sudan. "South Sudan is for peace and is not ready to go back to war, the people of South Sudan have suffered much and this is time for them to enjoy the fruit of peace with the resources they have", Kiir told President Obama by phone two weeks ago.

However in less than a week, after his forces attacked and occupied the Sudanese area, Heglig, he shifted from his “no return to war” telling the members of South Sudan parliament that he would not order a withdrawal, rejecting international calls from the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN) and United States and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to withdraw his army from Heglig.

Juba further laid claim to the strategic town which was allocated to Sudan as part of a 2008 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) on redrawing the boundaries of the disputed territory of Abyei.

Kiir was quoted by the media as claiming that the conflict in Heglig began when Sudan armed forces in collaboration with militia forces launched an attack on 1 April with the intention to extend a tie-in pipe line to Unity State. Meanwhile the government of Sudan denied the accusations elaborating that South Sudan's occupation of Heglig was part of "bills Juba is paying to the quarters that used to support them in the past during the war."

Heglig is a Sudanese area and the government of South Sudan should immediately withdraw its force if they really do not want war.

The two sides should also stop supporting rebels groups of both countries to avoid such conflicts that are not in the interest of both countries.

We hope that the two sides return to their senses and hold the postponed presidential summit which is the only way now to end the ongoing clashes and to spare the two countries the woes of all-out war that could damage the infrastructures of both countries.