South Sudan downplays lack of direct communication with US
* Wednesday 30 July 2014
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* July 30, 2014 (JUBA) - South Sudan has downplayed the significance
of the lack of direct communication between president Salva Kiir and his US
counterpart, Barack Obama, saying the latter should be more concerned over
the situation due to his country's heavy involvement in world affairs.
The last time the two leaders spoke was in 2011.
"Yes, it has been long time . but I think it is the president of United
States who should be more concerned because it is America which is more
concerned with the world affairs," presidential spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny
told Sudan Tribune on Monday.
He was reacting to reports that president Kiir had complained that Obama had
stopped calling him amid growing diplomatic tensions between Juba and
Washington.
Kiir was quoted earlier this month during a visit to the capital of Western
Bahr el Ghazal, Wau, questioning why Obama had failed to call him even at
the height of the current conflict, which erupted in mid-December last year.
"I know my brother Obama is very busy with world affairs and I know how
difficult it is to wear several hats at [the same] time but sometimes he
manages to call others. He used to do that before but this has stopped. I
don't know [if] it is the level of his engagement with the world affairs
that has preoccupied him," Kiir was quoted as saying.
The president reportedly made the remark at a meeting with Bahr el Ghazal
elders in Wau, during which he revealed the United States and other
countries had cut financial support to the country's security forces and
withdrawn funding to several development projects, including construction of
the Rajaf police academy.
"The friends that we know have stopped supporting us, even the United
States, which used to provide support in capacity building such as
governance, health, infrastructure and the security sector and also
education has stopped," Kiir told elders at the time.
Government troops loyal to Kiir and rebel forces aligned with former
vice-president Riek Machar have been engaged in armed conflict since a
political split in the ruling SPLM sparked violence across the country.
Kiir said the "senseless" war had also affected oil production, telling
elders to tighten their belts until the conflict was resolved.
According to Ateny, talks between the two heads of state in the past had
typically focused on bilateral issues and other matters of mutual interest.
It is unclear what caused the stoppage in direct communications between the
two presidents, although independent observers say it is an indication of
the level of frustration felt by Western governments with the Juba
administration's inability to curb the country's ongoing conflict.