Who shall be the Sudan’s Abraham Lincoln to save the Union?

By Khorhok Gal Gar

July 1, 2007 — For last 51 years of independence Sudan has been known for her horrific
images of starving children, human rights abuses against non-Moslems and
supports for international well known terrorist organizations abroad, which
included the September 11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda
Network. The civil war in the Sudan was perceived by many African nations as
a separatist war against seated African government. In which violated the
Organization of Africa Unity charter, (OAU) the predecessor of the African
Union. While in Middle East, it is war against Islam therefore Islamic
state must be bailed out from infidel or Zionist agents in the south. The
civil rebellious in the Sudan took almost 50 years without international
community intervention. The 2000 United States election that brought George
W. Bush to power and the events of the September 11, 2001 change the whole
course of Sudan’s civil war. These events bring an international attention
on the Sudanese civil conflict, plus pressure from American Christian
Conservative, which are backbone of George W. Bush’s win for White House in
2000 election.

Since its interception in 1983 SPLM has been a driving force that versioned
the idea of New Sudan on new basis. In which equality and justice should be
base on citizenship regardless of race, religion or sex, rule of law,
respect for human rights and these are been main SPLM principals during 22
years of struggle. Abraham Lincoln in his March 4, 1861 speeches on his
first inaugural address to the State of the Union, worn American citizens
for eminent threat post by Southern States over the issue of slavery. He
said “this country with its institution belongs to the people who inhabit it
whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government; they exercise
their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to
dismember it”. As Abraham Lincoln, Garang forewarned his Northern colleague
on eminent threat post by National Islamic Front movement on the country
unity. But Garang fail to persuade northern opposition leaders to dismember
the government in Khartoum, nor to amend the constitution of the Sudan to
separate Church and State. Northern oppositions feared that Garang works
with Zionist movement whom in their minds is threaten the Islamic movement
in African.

In 1995 Garang was left with no choices, but to accept the idea of right to
self-determination for Southern Sudan during Asmara declaration with NDA
partners. Garang did that to unite the rank and file within SPLM and to
accommodate those believe in total independence of Southern Sudan from
North. During liberation struggle many southern politician questioned the
objective of the SPLM and what we are fighting for, some thinks SPLM has
betrayed the cause of southerners and believes the SPLM leader should recant
the objective of the movement, but in sense John Garang was looking at the
Sudanese conflict at difference angle. Eternity is difficult to understand,
if not articulated, in the fundamental law of any association. It is safe to
say that no organization proper ever had a provision in its organic law for
its own extinction and SPLM was not an exception.

Now the same nervousness seems to exist among the people of the Blue Nile,
Nuba and Darfur. Thinking that comprehensive peace agreement between
National Islamic Front and the SPLM left the issue of these regions in
halfway. But the fact is that the CPA addresses all marginalize Sudanese
grievances, what needed now are effective implementation strategy, so
durable peace can be reach in the whole country. SPLM felt our national
unity and diversity should be always given priority, because our survival
depends on our unity and learning how to love one another. The world has
change; many countries are now valuing diversity and are making more effort
to maintain them instead of discarding them whenever there is a rift, a
hurt, or a conflict.

In years to come there will be free and fair election in Sudan, in which
SPLM will contest the presidency. If people from Western and Eastern Sudan
wanted to free themselves this is their last greater chance to resolve the
conflict without more bloodshed. by standing in solidarity with all
marginalized Sudanese regardless of their geographic locations. I’m surely
justice will prevail and the National Congress will pay for their crimes by
the judgment of the Sudanese people.

* The autor is based in the USA. He can be reach at [email protected]