South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has claimed that former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir once offered him $505 million in an alleged attempt to stop South Sudan from gaining independence.
Kiir made the remarks on Saturday during celebrations marking the 34th anniversary of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) at Juba Stadium, where he reflected on the country’s long liberation struggle.
“They called me and offered $505 million, but I refused,” Kiir said, without providing further details about when or how the alleged offer was made.
He suggested the offer was part of broader efforts by Arab leaders to maintain Sudan’s unity ahead of the 2011 referendum.
“Arab leaders were involved, including then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi,” he said.
Kiir said accepting such an offer would have changed the course of history for South Sudan.
“If we had accepted that money, we would have been swallowed,” he said.
He added that rejecting the alleged offer was a defining moment in the country’s path to statehood.
“The mistake would have been during the referendum, but it was avoided and now South Sudan is independent,” Kiir said.
Kiir also praised the sacrifices of liberation heroes, naming figures such as the late Dr. John Garang, Kerubino Kuanyin Bol, and William Nyuon Bany.
He urged citizens to remember those who died in the struggle, saying independence came at a heavy cost.
“The war of liberation is over, but the struggle now is for development,” he said.
South Sudan voted overwhelmingly for secession in the January 2011 referendum held under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, formally becoming independent in July 2011.
Kiir assumed leadership of the SPLM/A after John Garang’s death in 2005.
