S. Sudan officially confirms Bashir’s invitation for independence

June 28, 2011 (JUBA) — Sudanese president, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, has officially been invited to grace South Sudan’s independence celebrations, contrary to earlier speculation that his presence at the event was problematic, Barnaba Benjamin Marial, the information and broadcasting minister, has confirmed.

“We have extended invitation to the National Congress Party (NCP) and President Bashir as part of the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ends on July 08. President Bashir must speak at the event,” Marial told journalists at the weekly media briefing on Tuesday.

Also invited for the celebrations, he added, are leaders of the other political parties currently operating in the north of the country.

The minister’s remarks come a day after the governing NCP in north Sudan reacted indifferently to reports suggesting that the U.S president Barack Obama has conditioned his attendance of South Sudan’s independence ceremony on the absence of President Al-Bashir.

This development stirred up both diplomatic and media confusion especially after it reportedly emerged that a number of Western leaders had conditioned their attendance of 9th July ceremony on the absence of President Al-Bashir.

But the south’s information minister dismissed such media allegations, describing them as “bad rumours”.

“We have an open invitation to all those who are interested in attending the July 09 celebration to witness the birth of a new nation,” Marial assured.

He however appealed to the Khartoum government to respect the recent resolutions of the UN and African Union (AU) security councils, strongly condemning recent air strikes by northern forces on innocent civilians in Southern Kordofan.

At least 16 civilians, according to Marial, were killed through aerial bombardment and artillery by Northern forces in Sudan’s border state of South Kordofan on Sunday. The UN says more than 70,000 people have fled their homes as fighting escalated in the region.

The Southern information minister further warned the Northern army against any military intervention in Southern Blue Nile, saying they risk causing a repeat of the ongoing events in Southern Kordofan, if they attempt to forcefully disarm civilians.

Meanwhile, normal flights to Juba airport will continue till 8 July, but there will be no commercial flight on 9 July. The move is aimed at ensuring the safely of over 20 heads of states earmarked for the celebrations.

(ST).