Bashir Accuses S. Sudan of 'Choosing Path of War'

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir accused South Sudan on Thursday of "choosing the path of war," following days of intensifying clashes on their shared border.

"Our brothers in South Sudan have chosen the path of war, implementing plans dictated by foreign parties who supported them during the civil war," Bashir told reporters, referring to decades of conflict before the South's independence last year.

"War is not in the interest of either South Sudan or Sudan but, unfortunately, our brothers in the South are thinking neither of the interests of Sudan or of South Sudan," he added.

Three days of heavy fighting between rival armies this week, the worst since South Sudan won independence in July after one of Africa's longest civil wars, have brought the two former foes the closest to a return to outright war.

The violence has prompted Khartoum to pull out of African Union-led crisis talks aimed at resolving a protracted dispute with Juba over oil, border demarcation, contested areas and citizenship.