press release

Government of South Sudan

 

Juba — In the interest of peace between the Republic of South Sudan and Republic of Sudan, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan has offered billions of United States Dollars to the Government of the Republic of Sudan to resolve all the outstanding post-independence issues that include, but not limited to, the status of Abyei, oil, the international borders between the two countries, and security.

 

This offer was announced yesterday by Mr Pagan Amum, the Secretary General of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) after a meeting with the governors from the ten states of South Sudan. He told journalists at the SPLM Southern Sector offices that his party and the government of the Republic of South Sudan has presented to the African Union-High Implementation Panel (AU-HIP), the body mediating between the two countries on the outstanding issues, a package which he said was reasonable and proportionate to assist the government in the Republic of Sudan and create a conducive environment to resolve the outstanding issues.

Mr Amum said that despite the people of South Sudan having been marginalized, impoverished and denied development by the successive governments in Khartoum, the government of South Sudan in the interest of peace and cooperation between South and North Sudan has decided to offer this assistance to Khartoum. He said if it was not for the sake of peace, these monies would be used for building schools, hospitals and roads to provide clean water that the people of South Sudan do not have.

He announced that the delegation negotiating on the side of the SPLM was scheduled to travel to Addis Ababa where the next round of talks was expected to commence but he said his party was informed by the AU-HIP that Khartoum has decided to pull out and instead requested the panel to meet in Khartoum. He added that the AU-HIP will come to Juba from Khartoum on Sunday after their meeting with the panel representing National Congress Party. He asserted that they are ready to head to Addis Ababa but clarified that this would depend on the NCP.

The SPLM Secretary General said the government of the Republic of South Sudan is ready and prepared to go back to the negotiation table to address these issues because it is interested in peace for the two countries in the spirit of good neighbourliness. Nonetheless, Mr Amum called on the President Omar el Bashir to desist from threatening the people of the Republic of South Sudan and respect the territorial integrity of the country.

Mr Amum quoted President Bashir as saying that he was ready to destroy the freedom of South Sudan and annex it under his rule again. He said these threats could be plans of invasion and attempt to occupy South Sudan. "The people of South Sudan will protect their freedom; we are not threatening President Bashir but we are asking him to stop threatening us", said Mr Amum.

Mr Amum further asked Khartoum to desist from bombing the people of South Sudan as well as supporting and arming militia that are causing untold suffering among there people of South Sudan. He cited the recent bombings in Upper Nile State in the counties of Maban and Mayom attacks by militia groups allegedly backed by Khartoum government.

He also said that he had held discussions with the SPLM governors from the ten states to discuss how to reorganize the party to become a party that is no longer a liberation movement but a party that is to deliver services that are geared towards attaining peace and prosperity to its people.