I did not describe South Sudanese as insect, Bashir says
April 12, 2013 (JUBA) – Sudanese president Omer Al-Bashir denied describing South Sudanese as “insect” saying he used the term only against the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.
The South Sudanese government at the time compared the expression with the term of “cockroaches” that the Hutu used to describe the Tutsi before the genocide they perpetrated against the latter. It also angered the South Sudanese street.
“I didn’t call the people of South Sudan insects. I cannot do this because I ruled them for 20 years, I was only making a play in Arabic about the SPLM which you in the media did not covey well,” Bashir said when he was asked about the issue by a reporter during the joint press conference with president on Friday.
While addressing a mix of South Sudanese Muslims and Sudanese nationals in Juba at the Kuwait Mosque where he performed Friday prayer, Al-Bashir said he came to the capital of the new nation because the two leaders have the biggest chance to make peace to avoid going back to war.
“We have agreed to work together with my brother Salva Kiir. There are also things which hold us together. We have common things between us, socially or economically because we were one country. So we have agreed to follow the path of peace”, he told worshipers.
Speaking about the affair of “insect”, he explained Sudan was hurt when the SPLA which the official South Sudanese army after secession from Sudan in 2011, took control of Heglig/Panthou. “Sudan was hurt by the act which had no justification,” he said.
“I didn’t call the people of South Sudan insects .I cannot do this because I ruled them for 20 years”, he repeated .
On 14 May 2012, in statements before the national assembly in Khartoum, Sudanese foreign minister criticised Al-Bashir without mentioning his name saying the use words like “insect” has had disastrous effect in Sudan’s foreign policy particularly in Africa.
(ST)