Sudan’s al-Bashir should not disturb resting giants
By Sabrino Majok Majok*
November 20, 2007 — Sudan’s Civil War that was fought for more than fifty years had caused incalculable destructions in terms of human lives, livestock, material resources, and infrastructures. In term of lives lost until CPA was signed, South Sudan alone had witnessed more than 2.5 deaths, and unknown number of wounded heroes and heroines. This is also compounded by more than 4 million others who were forcibly uprooted and subsequently made to seek refugee inside Sudan, neighbouring countries, or farther away in other African lands or off the continent all together. In a degrading fashion, most of life-sustaining livestock were greedily carried off to the North leaving behind starving and helpless Southerners.
Furthermore, in devilish attempt to put South Sudan on its knees, the successive oppressors in Khartoum also destroyed material resources and a few infrastructures there were in the region. The latter included schools, hospitals, shops, homesteads, roads, and bridges.
As if enormous destruction in human lives, livestock, material resources and infrastructures, wasn’t agonizing already amongst Southerners, the oppressors, slave-traders herded many Southerners off to the North as sex slaves, cash-cows, potential “Arabs” or breathing-working-machines. To date nobody knows with accuracy how many Southerners were initially enslaved; how many died in bondage; how many escaped; or how many captives are still toiling and being humiliated daily in the North by their slave masters.
It’s worth mentioning that at each level of destruction and degradation of the South by successive, totalitarian, genocidaire regime in Khartoum, the surviving victims’ and families’ hearts were and still are broken beyond imagination (memories of this ordeal won’t be forgotten). But Southerners’ will to liberate themselves had never dwindled during the course of the struggle, at least amongst the majority. It was this unwavering will and absolute determination that made it possible to withstand the oppressors for more than fifty years until Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed in Naivasha on January 9, 2005, thanks to IGAD and its partners—chief of whom are USA, UK, Normay, and Italy. When peace brokers showed increased interests in Sudan conflict, they did so for one principal reason: They correctly deduced that neither of the warring parties was winning militarily, yet innocent civilians were dying in their thousands annually, be they victims of war or war related disasters. Thus, the need for intervention and quest for supposedly lasting peace, the CPA.
Although CPA is not hundred percent perfect, it’s fair to say that it has addressed the rooted causes of war including Southerners’ right to Self-Determination, devolution of power, wealth sharing, and popular consultations in Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile states. While people of Southern Sudan (Southern Kordofan, Southern Blue Nile, and South Sudan including Abyei) would have liked to gain more than what CPA has delivered, they have swiftly embraced the peace upon signing as a chance to re-build trust amongst Sudanese, and technically ready themselves to forgive perpetrators for crimes and destruction committed in the course of war. In fact, peace loving Sudanese had hoped that President Al-Bashir would be committed to CPA during interim period as he stated he would at Nyayo Stadium in Kenya during a signing ceremony on January 9th, 2005.
Otherwise, Southerners—in particular—would have demanded compensations for more than 2.5 million lives lost; millions of heads of cattle, goats, sheep which stolen; and for destructions of infrastructures and properties. With all these losses, most of which were not addressed during the negotiations, Al-Bashir should not think that CPA has granted the marginalized majority a lion’s share. Instead he should know by now that Naivasha Peace Agreement is just a minimum deal that the oppressed masses of Southern Sudan have achieved thus far. So scraping parts of its provisions at will or delaying its implementation is unacceptable, come rain or shine. This writer appeals to President Al-Bashir and leadership of National Congress party to do a right thing: to implement CPA in letter and spirit, because no any nationalist (or a loving citizen) that would like citizens of other parts of Sudan to go through what people of South, East and Western Sudan have witnessed since independence in 1956. However, if war is imposed on the oppressed majority, then it’s natural that they will definitely defend themselves, CPA, their God-given land and resources. To tilt powers in favour of the oppressed, therefore, it’s imperative that the marginalized majority put behind their differences (if any) and readily band together against oppressors and enemies of peace; enough is enough!
Finally, let it be abundantly clear to Al-Bashir that CPA is not a gift from him and his National Congress party, but an achievement through precious blood of New Sudan freedom fighters. So Al-Bashir’s recent war drama isn’t justified what so ever. After all, he has his own problems, including terrorism and crimes against humanity charges. Can such a person really manage to fight so many fronts as it’s evident nowadays in every corner of Sudan? Does he have guts to threaten anybody as he did in Wad-Medani on November 17 when he was addressing his co-mujahideen and Janjaweed criminals? Al-Bashir had better not disturb resting giants of the Land, for expected outcome of such an act would likely be disadvantagious, even violently shake, the unity of Sudan. Now the choices are two only: full implementation of CPA or grave suffering of Sudanese from Gennena to Port Sudan and from Nimule to Wadi-Alpha with possible multiple disintegrations of the country. When this ominous danger comes to pass, Jumhuriyat as-Sudan will have multiplied into three or four independent states. The ball is in Al-Bashir’s court!!
*Sabrino Majok Majok is a Sudanese based in Canada; contact him via [email protected]