KHARTOUM, Sudan, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Sudanese military leaders called on President Omar al-Bashir to avoid war with neighboring South Sudan, local independent media reported.
South Sudan announced it was shutting down oil production in protest of alleged pilfering by Khartoum, sparking renewed tensions. South Sudan gained independence in July as part of a comprehensive peace agreement reached in 2005. That deal brought an end to a bloody civil war, though border conflicts and disputes over oil threaten the peace.
The independent Sudan Tribune spoke with "multiple army sources" on condition of anonymity who said Bashir shouldn't go to war with South Sudan. Hundreds of military officers in the Sudanese armed forces told Bashir's administration reforms were needed first, noting the military hasn't been able to deal with security challenges in border regions effectively.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice warned this month that violence in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile states was pushing the current dire state within "one step short of full-scale famine."
Both sides to the conflict blame the other for the violence.
Military leaders, the Tribune reported, said the Sudanese military was "rampant" with corruption. Bashir and Defense Minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein were described as "rattled" by the military complaints.
