Don’t tarnish the just course of South Sudanese struggle for freedom

By Roba Gibia

May 18, 2005 – When South Sudanese people took arms against Khartoum which started with Torit revolt in August 1958, that embodied in Anya-nya one, two and the SPLM/A movement, their reasons for struggle was not justified by the other regions (west, east, center and north) in Sudan but instead they were looked at as separatists and out-laws. But if we have a comprehensive perception and background of South Sudanese rebellion which materialized in Anya-nya movements, and paved the way forth for the birth of one of the most revolutionary movements (SPLM/A) in Sudan, was undoubtedly the nucleus of Sudanese struggle at the country’s modern history against the selective and intentional marginalization, deprivation, injustice, discrimination and uneven distribution of wealth and development by the Khartoum governments.

It was certain that the first Anya-nya movements were fighting for the separation of south and were not concerned with the other marginalized people in Sudan. This was in fact due to the fact that South Sudanese consider the people of northern regions all Arabs and are against south. And that was evident because during the liberation movements in south, the entire northern regions were mobilized against south by the central governments. But if you have a look at the people of Darfur, Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, Eastern Sudan and far north, they are all marginalized and deprived but rather being utilized in the name of religion not to see and feel their own agony.

But when the SPLM/A revolutionary movement emerged in 1983, its aim was to liberate the entire Sudanese people in general and marginalized people in particular from the injustice and discrimination on racial, color and religious bases. It has got inclusive perception about the country’s problems, which is the concentration of power at the center and lack of national state structure to unite the Sudanese people with its multi-ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. The SPLM/A liberation movement with its clear agenda and vision of uniting the Sudanese people under one umbrella, managed to gain the support and momentum of the entire if not all Sudanese people from the different walks of life, under one slogan which is the New Sudan. The philosophy of New Sudan is simple and is being extracted from the Sudanese reality without prejudice that, Sudan belongs equally to all Sudanese people regardless of race, color, religion and ethnicity. The movement’s philosophy is the Sudanism and not Arabism or Africanism, not Islam or Christianity but a secular state far from radicalism to unite the country and form the nation of Sudanism where democracy, justice, equality and respect of human dignity prevail far from religious doctrine, totalitarian rule and imposition of one groups’ ideology on others.

Yes, the SPLM/A liberation movement started in south like any revolution movement in the world which has to start with small group of people whether being tribe or nationalists, then it spreads to nation-wide revolution due to its just course of struggle. Thus, SPLM/A movement is not confined in south but it is a nation-wide struggle of Sudanese people regardless as whether it emerged in south or west or east or north, it comprises same just course of Sudanese peaceful coexistence. And the SPLM second convention which commenced in Juba on May 15, 2008, is absolute evidence that the SPLM movement is an inclusive struggle which covers the entire marginalized people of Sudan, not with aim of dividing Sudan but with aim of finding common recipe for the voluntary unity of the country, under the banner “No to War, Yes for New Sudan”. Thus, south Sudanese people have to be proud as founders of liberation movement that have awakened the total Sudanese people and propelled itself into the country’s modern history.

There are some people from neighboring or the so-called sisterly countries who are deliberately trying to ignore the Sudan’s diversity reality, are constantly distorting and tarnishing the just course of the South Sudanese liberation movement, like the writer Abdelmohsen Salama, who wrote a column in Alahram Arabic newspaper on May 14, 2008 under the theme ‘Hot points’, titled “The hot southern wind”. It seems the writer has got ingest knowledge about the long struggle of South Sudanese people for liberty and the details of Naivasha peace agreement, and the circumstances which led to the stipulation of self-determination instead of federalism and 2011 referendum into the CPA to the South Sudan. The writer mentioned that if the south secedes and emerged South Sudan state, it will constitute the second spearhead with Israel to pressurize on the Arab world, and it will destabilize and create disintegration conflicts in the region! This is preposterous and baseless notion and has got no ground under any circumstances, but rather it is writer’s prejudiced and imperialistic principles of depriving South Sudanese people from their freedom by distorting, instigating and inciting the Arab world public opinion against South Sudan with pretext that south is against Arabs, while it is the vice versa. Eastern Timor and Eritrea seceded and formed their own states because it was not possible for them to live together as one nation, then why not south Sudan if that could make Sudan a stable and secured country. Besides that I would like to call on the writer that do not blame south if Sudan disintegrates, splits and forms more than three or four countries, but you have to fault the consecutive Khartoum governments for their discriminative and premeditated policy towards the Sudanese people in general and south Sudanese in particular. In other words, south is being pushed and forced to break away by the so-called Arab and Islamic fundamentalists in Khartoum, because they perceive south as threat to Arabism and Islam that is being falsely projected by the Khartoum separatists, and indeed it was a bogus acuity. And above all, it is impossible to bring two distant cultural peoples together, unless if they are liberal and not militant people who can accept to live together without imposition or deprivation of other groups. Thus, the write has to understand that South Sudanese people are Africans, not Arabs and even though if they can speak Arabic or English language, but do preserve their Africanism like the other nations do.

Therefore, any specialist in Sudan’s affairs, knows undoubtedly that the inhabitants of Sudan is composed from African and Arab ancestors and this implies that all Sudanese are not Arabic speakers, this doesn’t constitute only in south but all the African tribes in Sudan. But the writer, Abdelmohsen Salama said that what captured his attention was the insistence of Salva Kiir like John Garang in wearing famous hat and speaking in English, he went on underlining that when Salva Kiir appeared on Egyptian TV, he used to listen to the questions in Arabic but answers in English, the writer said that he believes that this has got serious indication which need not to be ignored and turn a blind eye to! In my view, it would have got not only serious indication but very, very, very serious indications if Salva Kiir is to be an Arab, but he isn’t then why there has to be serious sign which can’t be ignored or turn a blind eye to? Here, one has to wonder and start speculating, as whether the writer is trying to force non-Arabic speakers to deliver their speeches in a language where they are not able to express themselves freely. According to the protocol or international ethics, anyone or prominent figure or leader is entitled to deliver his/her speech in its own language or the language that he/she masters. Hence, this indicates instead as how myopic is the writer’s opinion from one hand and on the other it indicates his desire of imposing and forcing someone who can not speak Arabic confidently to speak in Arabic. When Salva Kiir or John Garang speaks in English, it wasn’t that they abhor Arabic language but it was because they are not able to express themselves well in Arabic. Beside that why Sudanese people from all the walks of life didn’t protest or complain or took it serious when Salva Kiir or John Garang appears regularly on Sudanese TV, listens to questions in Arabic and answers in English! Are Sudanese people not smart, or it is because they (Sudanese) are aware of their own situation and reality. At this point, I would like to remind the writer as whether he had watched Sudanese TV and the speeches of both John Garang and Salva Kiir during their inauguration and to the National Assembly in Khartoum, as whether they spoke in Arabic or English. Also would like to inform the writer that the instruction or official language in all government institutions in south is English. Then, where is the problem? Do not try to plant seeds of sedition among Sudanese people, please leave them alone and do not add more fuel, enough the problems they have. Thus, if the writer visited South Sudan, he will not be forced to deliver or answer questions in south Sudan tribal languages or English but in the language that he understands. In my view, no one in this world hates any language because languages are the means of communication between the nations and it is not obligatory, but depends in which language you can express yourself freely without hesitation, beside that knowing any language is an asset.

As writers we have to understand every locality and sovereignty of each country and have to spell out the truth with absolute neutrality but not with partiality. Hence, we have to wonder, as why there was or are conflicts in the various parts of Sudan, and what are the reasons and causes for the continued crisis in Sudan since the independence? This is simply because the Sudanese popular forces in Sudan or Khartoum have no say in the government, because it is imposed government and not democratic or peoples’ elected government. In this context, there is no nation or community today in the world that will permit to live under bondage, servitude and be stripped from its own legitimate rights and identity, and that is the Sudan’s problem today.

It is true that the hot southern wind has warmed up all the marginalized regions in Sudan, but the current suicidal attack on the Khartoum and Omdurman by Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), in my view, has got its own indications, and the movement managed to sent a clear message to the Khartoum government that, the Sudanese capital can be easily penetrated and that the marginalized areas in Sudan would not be the only battlefields of the war, if there is no inclusive peace in the country, but it is certain that the battlefield could be moved to the tripartite capital (Khartoum, Khartoum north and Omdurman). And this is evident, because the marginalized people and generals in Khartoum will obviously offer their support to the attackers, simply because the Darfur innocent civilians in Khartoum suffered immensely at the hands of Khartoum securities at the aftermath of JEM attack on Omdurman and Khartoum.

Therefore, I could not agree with the Egyptian writer that Sudan is an organic part of Egypt, that they (Egyptians) feel it and pain for when it pains, and its (Sudan) security and peace need not to be left loose at any cost, but could agree that the two countries are friendly neighbors and has got common and mutual interests. Sudan is an independent and sovereignty country and can not be called organic or an integral part of Egypt, and I believe people should refrain from using such distasteful phrases. Most of the Egyptians knew nothing or have got very little and distorted information and knowledge about the Sudan’s core problems, because they are being misled by the media and some bias Egyptian writers or those who claim to be researchers or specialists in Sudan’s affairs. The writer is calling on the League of Arab Nations to intervene and to consider the dossiers of Sudan and Lebanon as the two serious issues to apex the Arab League agenda for review. But for Arab countries and the League of Arab Nations to intervene and come up with acceptable plans to the warring parties in Sudan as how to resolve Sudan’s crisis, they have to show or prove their impartiality in the Sudan affairs not by words but through deeds. As the government in Khartoum has been and still terrorizing and committing atrocities against its people, but there was no condemnation from the League of Arab Nations.

Roba Gibia, is a Sudan Tribune journalist. He is also the author of John Garang and the Vision of NEW SUDAN . He can be reached at [email protected]