ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) – U.S. officials voiced pessimism Sunday about the prospect of a peace and power-sharing agreement in South Sudan as President Barack Obama prepared to hold talks on the crisis with African leaders.
Obama’s meeting in Ethiopia on Monday comes as an Aug. 17 deadline to reach a deal approaches. Senior Obama administration officials said if there’s no agreement, the U.S. and other nations would deepen pressure on South Sudan’s warring factions, possibly through increased sanctions and the pursuit of an arms embargo.
South Sudan was thrown into conflict in December 2013 by a clash between forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer, and President Salva Kiir, a Dinka. The fighting has spurred a humanitarian crisis, throwing the world’s newest nation into turmoil four years after its inception.
One official said the U.S. sees the two sides as “utterly indifferent” to the country’s suffering. The officials insisted on anonymity in order to discuss the U.S. position heading into Monday’s talks.
The U.S. was instrumental in backing South Sudan’s bid for independence, which was overwhelmingly supported by the country’s people. Obama has described the current situation there as “dire” and called on leaders to put their country first.