Sudanese president does not exclude possibility of war with Juba
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February 3, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan
al-Bashir highlighted the unprecedented level of tensions with the
newly established state of South Sudan by saying that war is now a
possibility.
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Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir
"The climate now is closer to a climate of war than one of peace,"
Bashir said in a two-hour interview on Blue Nile TV.
Bashir acknowledged that such a war would be one of attrition and pose
a drain on Sudan’s resources but will have a bigger impact on South
Sudan.
“We will not resort to the choice of war unless it is forced on us and
we will not initiate the option of war because war is attrition for us
and them…..it will be a war of attrition hitting them before us” he
said.
The remarks come as military sources revealed last week to Sudan
Tribune that 700 officers within Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) warned
Bashir and his defense minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein against
rushing to war with South Sudan citing challenges facing the army.
In South Kordofan and Blue Nile States, along the contested border
with South Sudan, the regime has for several months been at war with
ethnic minority insurgents who fought alongside the former rebels now
ruling in Juba.
The dispute between the two countries currently centers on sharing the
fruits of oil produced in the landlocked South Sudan but can only be
exported through the pipelines and refineries running in the
territories of Sudan.
Sudan decided late last year to start confiscating part of the oil
pumped by South Sudan as payment in kind to satisfy financial arrears.
This prompted Juba to retaliate by shutting down oil production.
All negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement on how much fee should
the south pay per barrel of oil have collapsed. The most recent
attempt was made by Ethiopian president Meles Zenawi last week along
with other African leaders in Addis Ababa.
Bashir today recounted mediation efforts that Zenawi has undertaken to
bridge differences between him and South Sudan president Salva Kiir.
He claimed that the latter initially informed Zenawi that he will sign
a framework agreement, put together by the African Union (AU)
mediation team, before backpedaling later.
According to Bashir, Kiir presented “incapacitating” demands in Addis
Ababa including conceding ownership of Abyei and five other border
regions before he can sign the accord.
Because of this the Sudanese president asserted that South Sudan “have
not signed and will not sign”.
He further said that officials in Juba are insensitive to the needs of
their own people saying that South Sudan is suffering from famine.
Bashir also accused South Sudan officials of slashing part of the oil
money into their own personal bank accounts.
Bashir, who came to power in a bloodless coup in 1989, said that South
Sudan officials are hanging their bets on shutting the oil to strangle
his regime economically and cause its downfall.
“Their calculations was that if Sudan loses oil for two months then
that will be sufficient for toppling the government,” he said.
But the Sudanese president said that while 2012 will be a difficult
year for the economy but that growing gold exports, cotton and sugar
should compensate for the loss of the south’s oil since last July’s
country’s breakup. He also revealed that “friendly” countries are also
providing help.
The Sudanese pound recently sank on the black market to five pounds to
the dollar, but Bashir said the government wants that raised to three
pounds.
‘NO GUARDIANSHIP’
Asked about memos submitted by large number yet unknown members of the
National Congress Party (NCP) calling for reforms, Bashir called it
“valueless”.
The memos that have emerged in December called for an overhaul of
state policies including fighting corruption, establishment of a
citizenship-based state and banning the combination of party positions
with government ones.
A visibly tense Bashir said that the number of those behind the memos
is negligible compared to the total NCP membership which he said
exceeds 5 million.
He accused some unnamed circles within the NCP of seeking to act as
guardians of the party.
“There is no guardianship on the NCP from the memo signers or those
who claim that they are the people who can pull or untie strings [in
the party]” Bashir said.
He said that some within the NCP think that if they are not consulted
in decisions then they would come out to say that the party is not
democratic. Bashir also warned that those who are proved to be
affiliated with the reform memos can be held accountable.
The NCP chief said that decision making occurs through the general
convention which elects its top officials and the party bodies.
(ST)
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