Sudan’s Islamists, main dismantling factor of the country
Will the united Sudan remain attractive for all under the NCP regime?!
By Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman
October 5, 2007 — The concept of self-determination is a very powerful one. As Wolfgang Danspeckgruber put it: “No other concept is as powerful, visceral, emotional, unruly and steep in creating aspirations and hopes as self-determination.” It evokes emotions, expectations and fears which often lead to conflict and bloodshed.
What is Self-determination?
Essentially, the right to self-determination is the right of a people to determine its own destiny. In particular, the principle allows a people to choose its own political status and to determine its own form of economic, cultural and social development.
Self-determination in International Law
The principle of self-determination is prominently embodied in Article I of the Charter of the United Nations. Earlier it was explicitly embraced by US President Woodrow Wilson, by Lenin and others, and became the guiding principle for the reconstruction of Europe following World War I. The principle was incorporated into the 1941 Atlantic Charter and the Dumbarton Oaks proposals which evolved into the United Nations Charter. Its inclusion in the UN Charter marks the universal recognition of the principle as fundamental to the maintenance of friendly relations and peace among states. It is recognized as a right of all peoples in the first article common to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which both entered into force in 1976. 1 Paragraph 1 of this Article provides:
All peoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
The right to self-determination of peoples is recognized in many other international and regional instruments, including (1) the Declaration of Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation Among States adopted b the UN General Assembly in 1970, (2) the Helsinki Final Act adopted by the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) in 1975, (3) the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights of 1981; (4) the CSCE Charter of Paris for a New Europe adopted in 1990; ( 5) the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of 1993; ( 6) the International Court of Justice in the Namibia case; (7) the Western Sahara case; ( 8) the East Timor case in which its erga omnes character was confirmed. Furthermore, the scope and content of the right to self-determination has been elaborated upon by (9) the UN Human Rights Committee; (10) the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination; (11) and numerous leading international jurists.
That the right to self-determination is part of so called hard law has been affirmed also by the International Meeting of Experts for the Elucidation of the Concepts of Rights of Peoples brought together by UNESCO from 1985 to 1991, 12, it came to the conclusion that (1) peoples’ rights are recognized in international law; (2) the list of such rights is not very clear, but also that (3) hard law does in any event include the right to self-determination and the right to existence, in the sense of the Genocide Convention.
The inclusion of the right to self-determination in the International Covenants on Human Rights and in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, referred to above, emphasizes that self-determination is an integral part of human rights law which has a universal application. At the same time, it is recognized that compliance with the right of self-determination is a fundamental condition for the enjoyment of other human rights and fundamental freedoms, be they civil, political, economic, social or cultural.
Our unequivocal belief in the importance and the value of the Unity of Sudan is beyond any thread of doubt. The principles that govern unity are justice, equality and collective feeling of shared belonging to the country. In the current absence of justice and equality in the Sudan under the rule of the National Congress Party’s (NCP) vile regime, the country will soon be heading towards disintegration and partition into petty small states similar to what happened to the former Yugoslavia.
There has been unprecedented reference to self-determination recently in Sudan. On 18 September 2007, JEM leader, Dr. Khalil Ibrahim was reported as has stated that if the peace talks with Khartoum should fail, they would step up their demands for self-determination to independence for the Darfur region. When people in a country get disenchanted and feel it of no avail to live in an oppressive unjust regime, nonviolent peaceful protest against it starts first. Other sequence of events will follow each other in the form of Civil disobedience, Direct action which can include such activities as strikes, workplace occupations, sabotage, sit-ins, squatting, demonstrations, vandalism or graffiti, revolutionary/guerrilla warfare with armed struggle and a call for secession as a last resort. In today’s world, it is ever more important for those who continue to be denied their rights or remain excluded be given an opportunity to present their case. Consequences of marginalisation need to be addressed in Sudan and the voices of the oppressed majority heard. So long as the National Islamic Front (NIF) wing National Congress Party controls virtually all national wealth and power—political and military—peace will never come to this tortured land.
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) granted the right of self-determination to the people of Southern Sudan, working to promote and cement an attractive unity for Southern Sudanese during the six year interim period and to establish a united democratic secular Sudan through a country wide transparent and inclusive electoral exercise. We strongly belief that the NCP government is the major thread to the unity of Sudan through its insistence on injustice and Apartheid like discrimination against the people of Darfur, South of Sudan, Kordofan, Blue Nile, Manaseer and Eastern Sudan. Observers feel it no wonder if the people of Darfur demand Self-determination when their legitimate rights are denied by the Government of Sudan (GOS) in the upcoming ‘peace’ negotiations in Libya. The uncompromising adherence of the NCP elements to their old habits of stubborn position would be the prime mover of a call for secession and dismantling of the country. Given the foregoing facts, will the united Sudan remain attractive for all under NCP regime?! That is a sixty-four- thousand- dollar question.
* The author is the Deputy Chairman of the General Congress for Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He can be reached at [email protected]
Kifly Merhu
Sudan’s Islamists, main dismantling factor of the country
Hi,
you haven’t mentioned the coming elections in 2009. Waht if the election results bring a dramatical change in the political landscape.
The Sudanese should stay united. If we want to survive in the today’s world, even the Horn should unit too.
We have to work together, in order to realise our dreams and aspirations.
In the 1990s, we hopped that the EPLF and TPLF axis could bring a change in the Horn. But to our disappiontment, they trap back into the old habits, namely fighting for power and dominance.
Today the Horn is bleeding. There is chaos, mess and havoc created by ourselves and outsiders. That must have an end. We must build a prudent and visionary organs, who paves us the way to the promised destiny.
Toposa Boy southerner
Sudan’s Islamists, main dismantling factor of the country
Govt officials supporting training of young radicals
highly confidential intelligence brief availed to Sudan Mirror disclosed the training of a batch of 30 recruits from Greater Equatoria in Hantoub Gezira last June under the command of three senior security officers of national security. The training ran through June 10-21 this year and was attended by “carefully selected and chosen”recruits. The recruits “have special files about the backgrounds in the organization in Khartoum”. According to the intelligence brief, the courses were designed “to build a special force loyal and dedicated to carry out jihad in the South and to implement tough orders given to them”. Equatoria was chosen for the training base because of comparative advantages, the report noted. “Most of the Southerners who are in charge of security in the South and some who are integrated in the high security position in the North after the CPA are of less education and knowledge about security matters”. During the opening session of the Hantoub course, a top adviser to the GONU told the recruits that because of the comparative advantages “the penetration of military installations and government institutions plus eliminating the key leaders in the South as esay targets”. Intelligence reports also disclosed that similar training of students from other parts of Sudan have taken place in Kassala, a development that sources in GoSS say confirms the determination of the North to dilute the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. According to intelligence reports, Sudan’s Second Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha was accompanied by high ranking government and security officials during the opening of the training program at Hantoub Gezira. The government and security officials present were identified. The report noted that hate speech directed at the non-Muslims characterized that opening session. In addition, there was a posthumous slur on Dr John Garang as well as denouncement of Muslims working closely with GoSS. The reports quote Vice President Taha as having called on the Muslims in the South to take up arms as he “was ready to put the oil revenue in Sudan to support the war in South Sudan to liberate the South from the infidels backed by the Israelites”. He declared that time had come for the people of Sudan to united against the “infidels”. He remarked that the war in the South Sudan took 21 years but that the new crusade to liberate the South would only take 21 days. The Vice President further disowned the CPA, saying they signed the agreement under international pressure and that the North should not have done so. He announced that plans for other similar Muslim youth training programmes covering the ten southern states especially in Equatoria were underway. According to GoSS intelligence reports, the Muslim youth training had been organized the Islamic elites in Khartoum. The programmes include training on the use of explosives and explosive belts as well as recitations of the spirit of terrorism in Jihad war. The other subjects are aptly titled: “How to exploit the churches” and “The spirit to die in the name of God”. The learning is complemented by video shows for 10 hours a day on jihad suicide operations and handling explosives in public places. The reports say the recruits do not return to their universities at the end of the training but are assigned special tasks in Khartoum to monitor the movements of members of the military and politicians from the South.