Addis Ababa – President Barack Obama is warning the world can’t wait long to address the deteriorating situation in South Sudan.Obama is addressing South Sudan’s civil war during a news conference in neighboring Ethiopia.
Obama says the humanitarian situation is deteriorating and the conditions are getting “much, much worse.” He says the parties to the conflict have until now proven to be “very stubborn”.
The president says the situation demands the world’s urgent attention. He says the group of African countries working to resolve the conflict hasn’t been able to do so as of yet.
He says the US wants to assist that effort and that there needs to be a peace agreement and a structure in place in the next several weeks.
Obama plans to convene a meeting of regional leaders on Monday in Ethiopia to discuss the situation.
South Sudan marked four years of independence this month but has been plagued by violence since December 2013. That’s when clashes broke out between government troops controlled by President Salva Kiir and rebels led by his former deputy, Riek Machar.
President Barack Obama says the bombing in Somalia’s capital is a reminder that terrorist groups like al-Shabaab offer nothing but destruction and must be stopped.
Obama is speaking at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He says the US and other countries must keep the pressure on groups like al-Shabaab.
Obama says Shabab is also a serious threat to Ethiopia.
The East African country has been a partner with the US in the fight against terrorism, sharing intelligence with American officials and sending troops into Somalia to address instability there.
Somali police says 15 people died in the massive truck bomb attack on Sunday on a hotel in Mogadishu.
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