Sima Samar: The Agent of Truth

By Marial Wuoi*

September 19, 2008 — The National Congress Party (NPC) chief spokesman currently holding the SPLM post of UN Ambassador in Geneva, John Ukech Lueth again made news this week by declaring the UN Human Rights special rapporteur an agent of the European Union or any other body perceived by the NCP elements as being hostile to their behavior. For those seeking a refresher course on John Ukech Lueth, he is the former Sudanese chargé d’affairs to Washington D.C. and famously known for his denial of the well-documented genocide in Darfur. Yes, it is the same guy who threatened to deprive the US giant Coca Cola of gum Arabica which is a key ingredient in the coke. Mr. Ukech Lueth picked his latest fight with Ms. Samar because she stuck to the truth about atrocities being committed in Darfur the way the JEM prisoners of war have been treated. To remind readers, Mr. Ukech is from the SPLM. Just like his friend Lam Akol did at the foreign affairs ministry, Mr. Ukech is now doing NCP’s bidding.

A simple analysis of logic is enough to convince anyone that Mr. Ukech’s logic and reasoning are flawed beyond repair. To demonstrate how impeccable Sudan’s human rights record is, Mr. Ukech posit this: “If Sudan is totally devoid of human rights then how can she (Samar) fly into Sudan, and travel to cities safe… enjoying good sleep in hotels and even visits with prisoners?” One can break through this simple argument by a drawing a simple correlation between those things that Ms. Samar enjoys and the fact that women continue to be victims of sexual assault and the fact that JEM’s element captured were sentenced to death by a kangaroo court where the Sudanese intelligence was the prosecutor, witness, judge, and executioner all in one. Of course it is in the best interest of Sudanese government to protect Ms. Samar from any physical harm because doing anything contradictory would just highlight how bad things are in Sudan. The fact that Ms. Samar is an international diplomat in the country tasked with seeking out the truth is enough to deter Sudan from not giving her the means necessary to perform her work. It absolutely has nothing to do with the status of human rights in the country. Her visits to the prisons are closely monitored and she is probably given a show of her life whenever she drops by. That does not mean that JEM POWs were not tortured to extract confessions. Nor does that mean that there are no bombardments and terror campaigns against the defenseless civilians in Darfur.

Ms. Samar is not an agent of EU or any other body that Mr. Ukech believes she represents. There is no evidence to substantiate his wild allegations. The NCP figured out long ago that every country and international organization that criticizes their government is agent of the West. Even the SPLM falls squarely into this category by the fact that it is opposed to what the NCP is doing to the country. The idea of a New Sudan where democracy prevails and Sudanese are all equal in all respect and religion is not a divider but sacred individual exercise is considered anti-Sudan and therefore an alien idea with its genesis in the West. The NCP uses West-vs.-Sudan dichotomy to gain a sympathetic ear in the Arab world. The West has nothing to gain by supporting the break up of the Sudan nor does it gain from telling Sudan to fix its mess. In the end, Sudan’s internal problems actually threaten the long term existence of a united Sudan than those emanating from external forces. Mr. Ukech should know better than to tow the same baseless argument that was used against the former UN rapporteur Gasper Biro when NIF-led government was locked in a mortal war with SPLM/A.

We also need to be reminded that Mr. Ukech is an SPLM appointee and his current behavior is not congruent with that espoused by the party. It is diametrically opposed the SPLM’s central believe in a new Sudan where rights of all citizens are protected. By taking a page from the NCP policy book and using it against Ms Samar is enough to attract rebuke from the highest level. He should do what Cdr. Deng Alor Kuol has been doing since his ascension to the Foreign Ministry. Cdr. Deng Alor is the most level-headed Foreign Ministry that Sudan has had in a long time. He sticks to what he believes is good for the country and not what pleases the Islamists running the country. By unfairly attacking the integrity of Ms. Samar, Mr. Ukech has not only revealed his true self but also exposed his lack of tack and requisite diplomatic acumens to be at the UN.

Ms. Samar can only take one message away from the reaction of the likes of Amb. Ukech. She is doing her job in the most effective manner given the difficult environment and hostility she faces each day as she uncover the truth. She could be doing some other work worthy of her time but she chose to be a witness for millions who face certain death and trauma. She is the agent of truth and is willing to put up with thugs running Khartoum.

The author is a Sudanese residing in the US and a graduate of Penn State University with B.S. degrees in Geosciens, Geographic Information System, and Minors in Energy and Environmental Economics. He can be reached at [email protected].