Sudanese president warns of war with South Sudan

04 Feb Xinhua

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Friday said the tensed atmosphere between Sudan and South Sudan makes war option more likely than peace option.

“The atmosphere is much tensed between the two countries and closer to the war climate than to peace climate,” said al-Bashir in a special interview to Sudan’s Blue Nile TV channel Friday.

“We, on our part, will not resort to the war option unless it is imposed on us. We are committed to search for peace through dialogue under the patronage of the African union,” added al- Bashir.

The Sudanese president also accused South Sudan of unwilling to end the oil dispute, noting that his country would continue to deduct amounts from the south’s crude oil if exported through Sudan’s oil infrastructure. “The south will not sign any agreement on oil with Sudan and we will not hesitate to take our right in form of oil until a deal is reached, if we managed to do so,” said al-Bashir.

“We have estimates for Sudan’s share amounting to around 74,000 barrels a day. This is the amount which we are taking now and we will continue taking this amount as long as the south’s oil continues to be exported via our territories,” he added.

The Sudanese president further accused South Sudan of conspiring against his country and trying to weaken it economically, saying “the calculations of our brothers in the south are always wrong.

They think halting the exportation of their oil through Sudan will lead to weakening Sudan economically and then toppling the standing system.”

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit were expected to sign a framework agreement in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa in accordance with which Juba pays 4 billion U.S. dollars to Khartoum and pumps 35,000 barrels of crude oil daily to refineries in the north, provided that Khartoum allows the south to use its oil infrastructure to export oil.

However, Kiir refused to sign the framework agreement at the last moment, prompting al-Bashir to direct Khartoum’s negotiating delegation to leave for home.

The two sides have agreed to resume the negotiations in Addis Ababa on Feb. 10 under the patronage of an African Union panel led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.

The South Sudanese government accuses Khartoum of shipping away and selling some of the south’s oil, while Sudan claims that it is only deducting transit fees in the form of oil.

After the independence of South Sudan in July 2011, Sudan lost two-thirds of its oil resources, while the two sides have not agreed on the oil-sharing issue yet.