Who wants to kill Salva Kiir, asks Asmaa El-Husseini A few days ago, a fire broke out in the house of South Sudan President . The house was gutted but the president was unharmed -- a close call. So far this seems to be an innocuous incident, caused by a cigarette stub or faulty wiring, as some reports said. But there is also the possibility of foul play. Salva Kiir is a man with many enemies. He has just been engaged in a verbal duel with his north Sudan counterpart Omar Al-Bashir, accusing him of stealing the money and the oil of the south and saying that the north Sudanese leader should give himself up to the International Criminal Court to be tried for crimes of war. Striking a belligerent pose, Salva Kiir said that South Sudan is ready for war if pushed any further. If the fire was indeed an assassination attempt, it wouldn't be the first. Let's not forget that Salva Kiir's predecessor, John Garang, was killed in an airplane crash while flying back home from Uganda in 2005, a death that many say was not an accident. People I talked to in South Sudan say that Salva Kiir has escaped several assassination attempts so far. In one incident, a nephew of the president was found hiding under his bed with a weapon in his hand. Suspicions that the north Sudanese government may be trying to kill Salva Kiir explain the worsening relations between the two countries. Salva Kiir is widely believed as the only one capable of keeping the south together. He may lack Garang's charisma, but he has proved himself to be a persuasive negotiator who successfully defused many of the divisive issues in his country. Now, is it possible that some people in South Sudan want Salva Kiir dead? One cannot rule this out, especially considering that only a few weeks ago one of the chief rebels in South Sudan, George Athor, was killed in a border clash. Salva Kiir has already declared a general amnesty to various rebel groups in South Sudan in an attempt to bring peace to his country. But several rebel movements remain active, and some of them are said to be in the pay of the north. The mistrust is mutual. The north Sudanese government accuses the southern Sudanese of supporting rebel movements in South Kordofan, the Blue Nile, and Darfur. Dire economic conditions in South Sudan complicate Salva Kiir's efforts. Because oil production has ground to a halt, nearly 3.5 million southerners are in danger of famine, according to relief organisations. The South Sudanese government is having trouble providing employment to citizens who moved from the north to the south after the secession. It is faced with increasing security problems caused by the tribal clashes over trivial matters, such as cow theft or grazing rights. This situation is exhausting to government officials, who now have to shuttle around the country settling minor disputes before they get out of hand. The South Sudanese government is fighting on several front. Aside from its differences with north Sudan and various rebel groups, it needs to disarm the southerners, rebuild the infrastructure, stamp out corruption, stimulate the economy, and allow for broader political participation. As differences persist in the ranks of the southern government, it has been said that the would-be assassins of Salva Kiir are acting on orders of key members of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement. This claim, the SPLM claims, is preposterous -- part of a psychological war waged by Khartoum. A source close to the government told me that the north Sudanese media and "those who back it in Khartoum" are hoping to cause sedition in the south through such allegations. So far Salva Kiir has proved to be a prudent leader in turbulent times. Like Garang before him, he seems to be trusted by most southerners, who wish to see him lead the country to safe shores.
