Sudan's Bashir vows to punish South

KHARTOUM — Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir voiced doubt on Thursday over UN talk of sanctions against South Sudan, but said his country will impose a punishment of its own for deadly clashes along the border.

Keeping up war rhetoric which has drawn expressions of concern from the United States, Bashir told a rally of paramilitary troops that Sudan will teach "a lesson by force" to the South Sudanese government.

"America will not invoke sanctions on them, and the (UN) Security Council will not, but the Sudanese people are going to punish them," declared Bashir, who holds the rank of field marshal and was dressed in desert camouflage and a beret.

On Tuesday, the Security Council discussed possible sanctions against both Sudan and South Sudan in a bid to halt a wider war after border fighting broke out on April 10.

Clashes erupted last month along the disputed frontier but escalated last week with waves of air strikes hitting the South, and Juba's seizure of Sudan's main oilfield, Heglig.

"We will teach them a lesson by force," Bashir said of the South Sudanese government. "Heglig is not the end. It is the beginning." Read More