Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir has claimed the moral right and responsibility to help South Sudan rebuild in peace through the new peace deal witnessed by African leaders in Khartoum.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir, main opposition leader Riek Machar, a representative of the former political detainees and representatives for other South Sudan opposition groups signed on the peace agreement during a signing ceremony at Friendship Hall on Sunday.
The deal, signed under the auspices of President Omar al-Bashir, will lead to the formation of a unity government which will run for three years in South Sudan.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the final signing peace agreement, the Sudanese leader said: “I have a moral obligation towards any South Sudanese citizen… My people in South Sudan, yes I say my people because I was a president of all Sudanese when Sudan was still one.”
President Bashir further said South Sudan peace agreement will not just be ‘ink on paper’ saying more sessions will sketch out details and timetables for implementation of the signed peace deal.
He pointed out that his government had taken a decisive decision to implement the 2005 peace agreement signed with the SPLM movement that eventually led to South Sudan independence from the north for the sake of peace.
“We had searched for peace everywhere because we wanted the people of Sudan to live in peace by all means…Nothing is more precious than the lives of the Sudanese people,” he said.
Al-Bashir lamented the current situation in South Sudan, saying the surge in violence is causing immense suffering and harm to innocent South Sudanese citizens.
“We are one nation in two countries… When the conflict started, South Sudanese started to cross the borders but when they crossed to Soudan, they were not treated as refugees,” he said.
The Sudanese leader confirmed that his government will participate in the implementation of the security dossier and the formation of strong security agencies to protect all South Sudanese during the transitional period.