The United Nations Security (UNSC) held a closed meeting on Wednesday to listen to a briefing by the UN Secretary General Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Haile Menkerios via videoconference.

The United Nations Security (UNSC) held a closed meeting on Wednesday to listen to a briefing by the UN Secretary General Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Haile Menkerios via videoconference, Sudan Tribune reported.

This comes more than two weeks after the UNSC adopted a resolution that endorsed an African Union roadmap instructing Khartoum and Juba to return to the negotiating table and end all hostilities as well as pull troops back inside the borders.

The decision gave a three month timeframe to reach agreements on key issues including Abyei, oil, citizenship and border demarcation. It threatened either side with non-military sanctions in the event of non-compliance.

The two sides were ordered to resume talks by Wednesday but the delay did not seem to concern UNSC members.

Thabo Mbeki, the AU mediator in charge of negotiations, is set to visit Khartoum this week for the first time since the UNSC resolution in order to discuss the return to talks with Sudanese officials.

Sudan and South Sudan fought fierce battles last month after Juba managed to briefly occupy Heglig region inside South Kordofan state before Sudan army restore control over it.

The incident dampened hopes that post-independence talks can be rebooted with the hope of breaking the long-standing deadlock.

Sudan is now insisting that it will only head for negotiations on security issues and only after that is settled will it agree to discuss other items.

The UNSC resolution also directed Khartoum to cooperate with the mediation team in resolving the conflict with the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N), which Khartoum accuses Juba of backing.