South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit has alleged that former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir attempted to influence the 2011 independence referendum by offering him a $505 million bribe to prevent South Sudan’s secession.

Speaking on Saturday during celebrations marking the 34th anniversary of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) at Juba Stadium, Kiir said Bashir enlisted several Arab leaders — including then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, and the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi — in a last-ditch effort to preserve Sudan’s unity.“

They called me and offered $505 million, but I refused,” Kiir told the crowd.

“The mistake would have been during the referendum, but it was avoided and now South Sudan is independent.”

He added: “If we had accepted that money, our country would not have become independent… No one appreciates himself, but I can appreciate myself because I did not accept the money offered.”

The 2011 referendum, held under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, saw South Sudanese vote overwhelmingly for independence, ending decades of civil war between the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the Sudanese government.

Honouring the Liberation Struggle

Kiir used the occasion to pay tribute to fallen SPLA leaders, including the late John Garang, Kerubino Kuanyin Bol, and William Nyuon Bany.

He also recounted his own experiences in the bush war, including joining the SPLA in 1983 and an incident in which he and fellow fighters sank a vehicle in the Sobat River to escape government forces.

While declaring the war of liberation over, Kiir acknowledged that the current struggle is for development, citing persistent challenges such as limited access to schools, hospitals, and basic services.

South Sudan gained independence in July 2011. Kiir assumed leadership of the SPLM/A following John Garang’s death in a 2005 helicopter crash.