KHARTOUM — Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir pledged on Tuesday to help build a secure, stable and brotherly state in the south if it votes for independence in a referendum less than two weeks away.
“We will not deny our southern brothers their decision, and we will help them to build their state, because we want a secure and stable state… if there are troubles, these troubles will come to us,” Bashir said in a speech broadcast live on state television.
Speaking before thousands of supporters in Gezira state, Sudan’s breadbasket southeast of Khartoum, Bashir said he would be “the first to recognise the south” if it chooses secession in a free and fair vote on January 9.
Full story: Bashir promises to help Sudan’s independent south