WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday accused Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of trying to undermine newly independent South Sudan, adding Washington would consider increasing pressure on Bashir to reverse course.
Clinton told US lawmakers that “what we've got with Bashir is a very determined effort to try to undo the results of the comprehensive peace agreement,” which led to the creation last July of a separate state in South Sudan.
She recalled “the United States played a very important role in negotiating that agreement,” a 2005 deal that ended more than two decades of war between the Islamic government in Khartoum and rebels representing the mainly Christian and animist south.
“The people of South Sudan voted for independence and ever since, despite Bashir going to Salva Kiir's inauguration, there has been a steady effort to undermine this new state,” Clinton said, referring to the new southern president.
“We will certainly look at trying to up the pressure on Khartoum and on Bashir personally,” the chief US diplomat told a House of Representatives committee.
On February 3, Bashir said on national television that Sudan is closer to war than peace with the breakaway state of South Sudan, with a dispute over oil and other issues stoking tensions.
Bashir spoke after Kiir warned that renewed conflict could erupt if oil negotiations with Khartoum do not include a deal on other key issues, including the contested Abyei region.
Tensions have also been raised by the still undemarcated border, parts of which cut through oilfields, as well as mutual allegations that each side backs rebel forces against the other.
“We also believe there has to be an agreement to finish out the comprehensive peace agreement and try to finalize all of the border issues, the oil issues, and that's going to be very difficult, too,” Clinton said.
“We support the process that the African Union is running in Addis Ababa but it doesn't seem to be making a lot of progress yet,” she said.
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