Is President al-Bashir a leader of people or an enemy?
By Sabrino Majok Majok*
September 2, 2006 — The bitter, destructive, fifty-year war concluded on January 9, 2005, was imposed on the oppressed majority of the Sudan by those who wrongly perceived to have been sent by a divine power to enslave and suppress their subjects. Although these self-proclaimed prophets or messengers came in different colours at various times, they invariably have had two primary objectives (1) to subjugate African Sudanese, and (2) to kill those who resist submission.
The foreign, false prophetic mission has ever since been implemented by successive ruling parties of the Sudan, albeit at varying degrees. For example, the brutal, merciless carnage that befell African Sudanese in the hands of National Islamic Front (NIF)—now cosmetically called National Congress Party (NCP)—was initially crafted and adopted by previous administrations of Seid Sadeg al-Mahdi and Field Marshal Jaafer Mohammed Nemeiri through the use of proxy forces: Muraheleen, tribal militia, Janjaweed, LRA or Tongtong.
Out of disingenuous or otherwise, the current NIF/NCP waged unprecedented war on innocent, defenseless Sudanese in the South, Centre, Inggessana Hills, East and West Sudan since the wrongfully seized control of the country on June 30th, 1989.
Since then, countless African Sudanese have senselessly been killed. For example, in South Sudan alone conservative estimate put the death toll at 2.5 millions; and the displaced persons in excess of 6 million people. Secondly, expert put the number of deaths in Western Sudan close to one-half of a million, excluding those who recently have died from diseases or hunger. Finally, in Nuba Mountains, Ingessana Hills, and Eastern Sudan, nobody knows how many have lost their lives.
It was such series, massive, and pointless killings that alerted international community to force NIF to sign CPA followed by Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) on May 5, 2006.
It’s worth noting that when NIF signed CPA and DPA, it didn’t intend to discontinue their policy of Arabization, extermination, and enslavement. Instead it was a tactical retreat to escape imminent and total destruction by forces which were besieging it, including international community and Sudanese in Diaspora.
Having seen writing on the wall, the NIF reluctantly and cowardly accepted the peace only in words void of deeds. In a desperate move to deceive peace loving Sudanese and international community, the NIF mimicked pro-peace attitude, but quickly relapsed to its natural and true colour. Indeed, those who were less convinced by NIF cunning and its seemingly transformed image, were not surprised to see their point proven right by NIF itself.
In weeks and months that followed the peace agreement in Kenya, NIF demonstrated to the whole world that it was “too deformed to be reformed.” To make its point clear, NCP then applied all that were expected from any oppressive, undemocratic, totalitarian regimes. For instance, they immediately embarked on public harassment, exercising unconstitutional laws, running the affairs of the nation single-handedly while unauthorized, sidelining other political parties including the sole co-signatory to CPA, impeding a smooth implementation of CPA, and unrelenting support of OAG’s.
To date, the NIF is still hell bent on its policy of subjugation and extermination in many parts of the Sudan, particularly in West and South Sudan. Other regions, too, are being quietly paralyzed and destroyed, yet serving the same, monstrous agenda.
Despite CPA and DPA, NIF is unwilling to change, even a little. In fact, NIF’s Arabization, extermination, enslavement, and totalitarian desires are alive and well although they were temporarily suspended or bent during series of negotiations; “A bend of the Road is not the end of the road.”
Such a calculated move has been at work since 1956. Nevertheless, marginalized majority have always been cheated by oppressors’ cunning maneuvers. For example, uninformed, suppressed people would talk of non-existence major fallout, say, between Neimeri and Sadeq; Sadeq vesus al-Turabi; Turabi versus al-Bashir; al-Bashir versus Ali Osman. And in the end nothing significant has ever happened.
True, there have been brotherly quarrels among gangs of oppressors, but the confrontations have never been about a national political platform. Instead, the differences have only been revolving around who should control power or wealth, period. Because whenever one or two of these big brothers seized the country from another group, the end game has always been that the ruling clique would sideline others, even next door neighbours or friends. What we haven’t figured for a long time is oppressors’ use of machinery called “theoretical coup,” where they constantly have been switching powers from one group to the next, especially if besieged and in danger. This is how we have been blindfolded for the last fifty years!
Luckily enough, there is a hope; the CPA has given us Sudanese a golden chance to determine our destiny through a free and fair elections whether NIF likes it or not, come 2008.
On elections’ day if the marginalized majority vote strategically with a single aim to democratically eliminate and remove NCP from the presidency, then the Sudan will have witness a true independence once and for all. Otherwise, the vicious cycle of Arabization, extermination, enslavement, and the worst dictatorship on earth (or should we call it a Tsunami of the Sudan) will have been born to say forever.
Since this scenario is terrifying and gloomy both in our hearts and minds, we the marginalized majority of the Sudan must exert utmost political might to see to it that NIF/NCP is removed from power so that our country regains her pride and respect for peaceful and harmonious new character of hopes, freedom, equality and justices.
By rejecting al-Bashir’s policies at polls, we are effectively voting against the old systems dominated by wars, diseases, dictatorships, hunger, rapes, killings, abuse of human rights and international laws. In actual fact, our voting against NCP is only a sure way to restore peoples’ hope and undo all ills that were done since the so called independence of the Sudan in 1956.
To add insult to injury, al-Bashir is nowadays trying to drag war weary citizens to unnecessary confrontations with UN, as although we Sudanese haven’t had enough already, or as if the lives lost after June 30th coup were not too much a price. By blocking blue helmets to save lives in Darfur, al-Bashir has officially authorized death of millions in that region.
Recent reports coming from western Sudan talks about increased violence. For example, EU officials who have recently been to the area are alarmed and worried. “We think this does not comply with the May peace agreement and appears as a vast military operation … Some representatives say the intention is to wipe the non-signatories (of the peace agreement) off the map.” Furthermore, Eric Reeves—a Professor at Smith College in United States—revealed chilling information from his source that government troops are indiscriminately bombing a number of villages. “They are bombing villages without any regard for civilians, it is more genocidal violence. The end game is to take full control of northern Darfur and isolate the rebels,” he said.
If Sudanese and international community fail to act now, there will be no lives left in few days or weeks ahead, at which time we will only mourn tens of thousands’ deaths.
Finally, we have to ask ourselves the following questions in an attempt to solve the mystery: Do people of Darfur deserve to die? Is NIF/NCP fit to rule the country? Is President al-Bashir a leader of people or an enemy?
*Sabrino Majok Majok is a Sudanese; contact him via [email protected]