Obama to push for South Sudan peace

US President Barack Obama will on Monday try to build African support for tough action against South Sudan’s warring leaders if they reject an August peace ultimatum, US officials said.
Obama will meet with leaders from Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda as well as Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour in Addis Ababa to try and build a collective front to end the 19-month-old civil war in the world’s youngest nation.
Signalling a deeper commitment to ending violence that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than two million from their homes, Obama is expected to make the case for tougher sanctions and a possible arms embargo.
South Sudan’s rival leaders – who will not be at the meeting – effectively face an ultimatum, a “final best offer”, according to one senior administration official.
“I don’t think anybody should have high expectations that this is going to yield a breakthrough,” the official said.
“The parties have shown themselves to be utterly indifferent to their country and their people, and that is a hard thing to rectify.”
Multiple agreements and ceasefires have failed, leaving violence and human rights atrocities unchecked.