South Sudan is upbeat on receiving the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
She is on an 11-day Africa trip starting this week aimed at igniting economic growth, peace and security, according to a US official.
Clinton will Tuesday arrive in Senegal and later travel to South Sudan, the world’s newest nation. The trip will also cover Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and South Africa, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
Clinton noted earlier that South Sudan had made strides in nation-building and on building a legal framework. Yet “despite the progress, significant challenges remain that threaten stability and prosperity,” she warned.
Meanwhile, Sudan’s President Omer al-Bashir declined to meet his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir in a last chance summit to overcome divergences over outstanding issues before the 2 August deadline.
Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, el-Obeid Morawah, released on Monday (30th July) evening a statement saying that Bashir turned down an invitation by the chief of the African Union mediation Thabo IMbeki to meet President Salva Kiir on Tuesday “due to previous engagements”.
Bashir is scheduled to travel to Doha Tuesday for a meeting with the Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani,.
“The government prefers to hold such a summit after good preparation and arrangements as it should not be intended to enter into details of the negotiations but to resolve certain issues so that (the summit) impacts positively the situation between the two countries,” Morawah further said.
It is believed that Bashir’s decision to not attend the presidential summit was triggered by Kiir’s statements on the martyr day on Monday where he accused Khartoum of seeking to collapse South Sudan and urged the Security Council to impose sanction on the “intransigent party”.
On oil transportation fees, Khartoum demands US$32 per barrel as Juba offers an average of US$8.18 per barrel, $9.16 and US$7.2. for each pipeline.
On the security arrangements Khartoum’s position is more against the mediation than Juba, because the former was not seen neutral after considering a “Sudanese” location as a disputed area.
The South Sudanese president said Juba delegation refused Khartoum’s demand accusing Sudan of intending to loot the oil of his country despite the financial package offered to cover the debit in Sudan’s budget.
Coup d’état in Juba
Several days ago, rumours of failed military coup attempt in Juba cause panic among the citizens of africa’s newest nation.
It is said that loyalists of late SPLM leader, Gen. John Garang, sometimes known as the ‘Garang’s Boys’ who are high-ranking officers in the army, were plotting to capture power from Kiir by military coup.
Specifically it was rumoured Sunday, that the deputy commander of the Military Intelligence (MI), Major General Mac Paul, from Bor community, was arrested with 15 other officers the following day and were taken to Yie military prison accused of actively participating in the plot.
Monday 30 July, a week later, for the first time President Salva Kiir came out publicly to denounce the rumour of the coup d’état, accusing Khartoum of being behind the instigation.
The rumour of a failed coup attempt against Kiir is the third of its kind and has always been linked to the same group of officers.
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