The NCP signs easily and carries a big stick too

By Abdellatif Abdelrahman

January 4, 2010 — I had my granddad, who died nearly fifteen years ago “May the Almighty keep his soul in paradise of greenery and eternal shades” Amen.

He used to tell us a lot of stories and proverbs, therefore; today I am small fact listing of him. My Granddad always repeats to us that, proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten.

I vividly remember one day when he said; “my grandson, speak softly but carry a big stick”. That time I was very young to grasp the essence of what he said at that time. But when I grew up and my conscience had grown matured enough, I looked deep into the tactics of the National Congress Party that are full of hypocrisy, go-slow policy of dishonoring peace agreements, dismantling political parties throw playing one individual against the other, elimination of political opponents by threats, prison and in extreme cases physical liquidation. Hence; I became to the conclusion that the, Islamists of Khartoum are squarely behaving according to the proverb of my late granddad.

The NCP has unappeasable appetite to sign any paper of the agreement with cheers before the witnesses, and then after the honey moon of the signing, they immediately drag their feet to implement it, not only stops on that point but also put roadblocks before its implementations. They divide the signed partners into hostile competing groups, or claim to misunderstand the terms of the signed agreement in order to renegotiate it, as it’s apparent on the case of Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA, to finally bury the agreement.

It is because of this, ever-active doomed stick of the extreme racists, radical right wing members of NCP who excelled on inflicting mortal blows to any signed peace agreement. Yet; they shamefully continue blaming the West for their own mistakes and treacheries. It is because of this heretical stick of the NCP, that Dr. Riek Maschar Teny the Vice President of the Government of South Sudan, who was exhausted by making shuttle trips from Juba to Khartoum back and forth, to convince Khartoum’s regime to implement its share fare of the CPA, but in vain. On the other the Presidential Assistant, Minni Minawi who signed the DPA, and was thinking that he will achieve personal gains and welfare for himself a long with some hand-picked people from his tribe before the others, but alas!! Because of the NCP big stick he ended up swimming in the mire of confusion.

The President Advisor Minawi partly threatened to quit the born dead DPA, that was dishonored by the National Congress Party and team himself up with opposition parties to face the very regime he became part of. He was totally confused, like somebody holding a carcass of an elephant on his head and searching with his toes for the grasshopper. The man was much disappointed even he was not able to hide his frustration when said in a conference; “I woke up with Nafi in the morning, and go to bed with Awad Al-Jaz before me questioning and giving me orders and I do not know what to do”.

Minawi is not to be blamed for such frustration, because whenever he remembers the incident of Al-Mohandissein in Omdurman, in which the building of his wounded soldiers and body guards was hit by rockets and hand grenades by Sudan National Security which was utterly destroyed over their heads. Some of his few remaining politicians and opportunists, who joined Abuja bandwagon, and also fled the killing of Omdurman fled with their skins to Europe and sought political asylum.

In fact; I only blame the backers of Darfur Peace Agreement from political drummers, on the level of locals and foreigners as well; for keeping their mouths shut, while seeing Minni hustling and bustling a lone, after they had thrown him into the fangs of the regime. Any way; it’s our filthy world of interests, where nobody likes to associate himself with buried agreement or bear responsibility of failed efforts. Finally and as a principle; every leader has to stand tall to face the consequences of his/her decision alone.

It is worth mentioning here that, had it not been for the threats that exercised on Minni to be taken to the ICC, and the verbal incentives offered to him by certain powers, he would not have signed the doomed Abuja peace agreement.

Those who escaped to Europe or U.S are the luckiest one as others who signed peace deal with the regime in a quick process for not to be left out from the few positions earmarked for Darfuris, died enigmatic death, such as Dr. Abdulrahman Musa, the head of SLM free will; for just to mention the very least.

For sure; the doomed fates of all signed peace agreements, the ongoing killing in Darfur and the explosive electric political situation in the country is due to the dirty stick politics of the NCP.

Now why should people of Darfur negotiate with a regime that is addicted killing the peace agreements while continuing the genocide in Darfur? Why should people of Darfur negotiate, if the mother of the agreements CPA is not implemented and is fluttering to collapse?.

I as one of the victims of the genocide, who had no time and resources to do standard education, but the conventional wisdom educated me that, if somebody is sincere about achieving peace and stability in the country, let him first prove his sincerity somewhere else, but not on me. Let the NCP prove its sincerity with the already signed peace agreements, the bunch of the U.N Security Council resolutions that called on the National Congress Party to stop the killing of the innocent civilians, disarm the Janjaweeds, remove the new-comers from the land (Hawakir) of the IDPs and Refugees. Then it’s only after that, the Islamists of Khartoum can make their bravado to the media of creating conducive environment for just and lasting peace.

There are some unjust voices attacking the Chairman of SLM/A Abdul Wahid for not compromising on the issue of the security of his people and not showing lenient stands towards the negotiation with the NCP. I think the losing sight of simple fact is that no agreement that works with the regime. SLM/AW is not asking much, he just wants to see those people dying on the ground saved from being killed. If the security demand of those being killed, raped and displaced on daily basis met, then we will know how solemn the Khartoum regime is. Several efforts to resolve the conflict in Darfur had drastically failed, due to the fact that, The Islamist Government in Khartoum is refusing to stop the genocide or commit to its obligations to look for the root causes o the conflicts in Sudan.

The author is based in Kampala, he can be reached at [email protected]