South Sudan's President Salva Kiir says that Sudan has declared war on his newly independent country with the bombing of border towns in the past few days. Sudan has not declared war but there is clearly a war going on between the two separated countries. But Kiir's accusation could just as easily be thrown back at him, that South Sudan has declared war on Sudan. He conveniently forgets that it was South Sudan that sent in troops to occupy the disputed town of Heglig on the border. Sudan managed to retake it claiming that it had killed 1,000 South Sudanese troops — to which South Sudan retorted that it had withdrawn its troops and “not a single one” had been killed. Unfortunately for it, numerous bodies in South Sudanese uniforms were seen by reporters. Rarely has the maxim that, in war, truth is always the first casualty itself been so true. Neither side is innocent in this clash of interests where the victims are always ordinary civilians. Sudan's bombing on Monday of the South Sudan border town of Bentiu has drawn particularly stinging condemnation from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the international community. Both sides keenly talk of war. Sudan's President Omar Al-Bashir has said that the time for negotiations is over, that force is the only language South Sudan understands. South Sudan says it intends to take reprisals. This is madness and the only outcome will be more death and destruction. The two sides must go back to the negotiating table to sort out their differences over where the border should lie and who has what, particularly when it comes to oil. This negotiating on the battlefield has to stop. Unfortunately, it is not a level playing field. South Sudan already has 75 percent of the oil, which is going to make it rich. Friends are lining up. Why, otherwise, would China, once Sudan's strongest supporter, have invited Kiir for a five-day visit? It sees where its interests lie and has changed sides. It wants access to South Sudan's oil. Not for nothing did Kiir call China one of his country's “economic and strategic partners”. All Khartoum has is a better military machine, and it is using it. But a better military machine did not win it the war with the south and it is unlikely to win it this particular dispute. What the government in Khartoum needs to focus on is a definitive peace with Juba so that it can get on with the far more important task of bringing peace and prosperity to the remainder of Sudan. It is wiser to accept the divorce and get on with life than angrily rage about who should have what. __
