The new year, and Sudanese Independence Day is almost upon us. Darfur appears to be President Omar Bashir's Waterloo. All his allies have withdrawn support and it appears he has no choice but to step down as president. But then anything can happen, he could be extradited and tried at the Hague, and most likely be found guilty, only to die in some European prison far away from all he loves and all who love him. Without the office of the presidency behind him, to protect him from his sins, his position is uncertain to say the least. Why step down then? He is facing increasing pressure within the party and internationally, they mean to have his head. Bashir is between a rock and a hard place.
And the rebels, at least the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) have developed a new strategy. Hurt Khartoum by attacking its economic interests. Bring the war of the provinces to the center. There appears to be weekly raids on the rich oil posts of southern Kordofan province. Disruption in oil production would slice at the heart of the regime, the source of most of its income. Meanwhile the South is not subtly racing to acquire arms in the form of fighter jets and artillery from China and Russia.
If Bashir decides to step down, his successor would most likely be Ali Osman, who is untainted by Darfur. However he is not a military man, and many fear that the army will rebel and stage of coup if Bashir is forced to step down.
In the South there are rumors of corruption and debauchery at the highest levels. But perhaps that was to be expected. The famished oft become glutenous. We can only hope they'll awaken soon enough and deliver on the promises of roads, schools, and hospitals. That a civilian population ravaged by neglect and disease and displaced by war and hunger will finally receive their basic rights as people.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Drowning in Meroe
If I wasn't a believer in climate change and the havoc that we have wreaked on our planet, I became one a couple years ago. There were unexplained floods, followed by months of droughts all over, from Britain to Sudan. There were earth quakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. All of them destructive and tearing away at the fabric of human life. Some places were affected worse than others.
At the time I was visiting my grandmother in our hometown of Nuhud, in Kordofan province located east of Darfur. The town was having its own problems with torrential rains. Before long over half the town was flooded, homes and livestock were destroyed. People were made homeless, and most did not have anywhere to shelter let alone money to rebuild.
The townspeople were distraught, but mostly angry. The government had ignored them. There was absolute silence from Khartoum, there were no planes, helicopters, troops with funds,food, tents or life saving supplies. Before long the people became bitter for they remembered that earlier in the year when there were floods in northern Sudan,supplies were sent immediately. But then they remembered that these areas are where the rulers of Khartoum, the Shaigiya, Jaaliya and Danagla ethnic groups hail from. And once again the people were reminded of their second, perhaps nth class status in Sudan, not at all equal citizens.
My ethnic group are the Manasir. They originally come from the Meroe area, in north eastern Sudan, one of the capitals of ancient Kush. Except for the Blue Nile that cuts through the mountains of Ethiopia into Meroe, it is a dry and semi arid land. Theirs is a sad plight. The government decided they would build a large dam in Meroe forgetting or perhaps ignoring the communities affected. The people protested, and the government was forced to pay them mind, promising them schools, hospitals, running water and other necessities. Given Khartoum's track record, the communities did not trust the government to deliver on their promises. They wanted assurances in response the government launched a violent campaign forcing the communities to leave, and imprisoning and killing many men and boys. The government unrepentant continued to build the dam. Several years later some defiant communities remain. Their poorly thatched huts are an embarrassment to Khartoum that would like to tout Meroe venture to foreign investors. And like any good despotic government, one must remove unpleasant realities. In this case the government used the dams to deliberately flood these communities, creating a man made disaster. Khartoum has also repulsed aid work and humanitarian relief.
The once dry arid lands are now flooded, drowning out the communities of Meroe. Once again, Khartoum's promise to serve the people of river valley rings hollow. THe Manasir are an undeniably northern tribe from the river valley, but since they have no surrogates in government they are expendable, just like the tribes of the extreme East, those of Darfur, and those of the South. There are no equal citizens in Sudan.
At the time I was visiting my grandmother in our hometown of Nuhud, in Kordofan province located east of Darfur. The town was having its own problems with torrential rains. Before long over half the town was flooded, homes and livestock were destroyed. People were made homeless, and most did not have anywhere to shelter let alone money to rebuild.
The townspeople were distraught, but mostly angry. The government had ignored them. There was absolute silence from Khartoum, there were no planes, helicopters, troops with funds,food, tents or life saving supplies. Before long the people became bitter for they remembered that earlier in the year when there were floods in northern Sudan,supplies were sent immediately. But then they remembered that these areas are where the rulers of Khartoum, the Shaigiya, Jaaliya and Danagla ethnic groups hail from. And once again the people were reminded of their second, perhaps nth class status in Sudan, not at all equal citizens.
My ethnic group are the Manasir. They originally come from the Meroe area, in north eastern Sudan, one of the capitals of ancient Kush. Except for the Blue Nile that cuts through the mountains of Ethiopia into Meroe, it is a dry and semi arid land. Theirs is a sad plight. The government decided they would build a large dam in Meroe forgetting or perhaps ignoring the communities affected. The people protested, and the government was forced to pay them mind, promising them schools, hospitals, running water and other necessities. Given Khartoum's track record, the communities did not trust the government to deliver on their promises. They wanted assurances in response the government launched a violent campaign forcing the communities to leave, and imprisoning and killing many men and boys. The government unrepentant continued to build the dam. Several years later some defiant communities remain. Their poorly thatched huts are an embarrassment to Khartoum that would like to tout Meroe venture to foreign investors. And like any good despotic government, one must remove unpleasant realities. In this case the government used the dams to deliberately flood these communities, creating a man made disaster. Khartoum has also repulsed aid work and humanitarian relief.
The once dry arid lands are now flooded, drowning out the communities of Meroe. Once again, Khartoum's promise to serve the people of river valley rings hollow. THe Manasir are an undeniably northern tribe from the river valley, but since they have no surrogates in government they are expendable, just like the tribes of the extreme East, those of Darfur, and those of the South. There are no equal citizens in Sudan.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The Widow or the Fat Man
I'm trying to come up of reasons of why I so love my native country, but I'm grasping at straws. I guess I've been gone too long to remember. I'm listening to Phil Collins exalt the majesty of east Africa.
Yesterday those captured during the failed coup in May were sentenced to death by hanging. The most highly profiled prisoner is the half brother of Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which has emerged to be one of the most successful, and powerful Darfuri rebel groups.
I'm wondering when they will hang, or if Bashir will use them as bargaining chips to delay his own humiliating release for the warrant arrest for war crimes.
This isn't the worst though, perhaps there will be more outcries because the world is watching. But a decade or so ago, there was another failed coup, and those young soldiers were not given a trial. They were simply shot like dogs on the eve of Eid Al Fitr, at the end of the Holy month of Ramadhan. How is that for an Islamic government.
In other news, apparently another Sudanese was shot to death on the Egyptian border. His crime, he was trying to get to Israel.
Yesterday those captured during the failed coup in May were sentenced to death by hanging. The most highly profiled prisoner is the half brother of Khalil Ibrahim, the head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which has emerged to be one of the most successful, and powerful Darfuri rebel groups.
I'm wondering when they will hang, or if Bashir will use them as bargaining chips to delay his own humiliating release for the warrant arrest for war crimes.
This isn't the worst though, perhaps there will be more outcries because the world is watching. But a decade or so ago, there was another failed coup, and those young soldiers were not given a trial. They were simply shot like dogs on the eve of Eid Al Fitr, at the end of the Holy month of Ramadhan. How is that for an Islamic government.
In other news, apparently another Sudanese was shot to death on the Egyptian border. His crime, he was trying to get to Israel.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Indictment
Today the International Criminal Court (ICC), indicted several high ranking Sudanese officials including Omar El Bashir, our esteemed President, for genocide and crimes against humanity. It is the first time in history that an arrest warrant is issued by the ICC for a sitting president. Some in Sudan view this as an insult, but I believe most think it is an answer to their prayers. Prayers from a people that have been starved, demoralized, killed, raped and forced into displacement.
The government reacted angrily and defiantly. But I am told that there is a real air of desperation in Sudan. The coup of more than a month ago has shaken the government. I just recently found out that my maternal great uncle and several members from my grandmother's town were involved in the coup. He is the nephew of our country's first Attorney General. They are from a non-Darfuri ethnic group, what the media would consider "Arab" ethnic group. In fact their ethnic group is the shared with many in the ruling class including vice President Taha. I was told the inclusion of many non-Darfuri ethnic groups, including so-called Arab ones has shaken many in the government. These members of the coup have been kept out of jail but are under surveillance. These members have been kept out of the media because right now Bashir and others are selling the coup, and indeed the whole conflict in Darfur as an ethnocentric conspiracy against their kind in Khartoum. For if the public knew that there are deep sympathies among the so-called elite Arab ethnic groups, than once again it ceases to be a conspiracy or mere insurgency from the lowly and primitive westerners, but rather a credible threat to their dictatorial rule.
The government has called in all their friends, including Russia and China, hoping that any resolution brought forth to the security council will be vetoed. They have called an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers. I believe that in a show of support they will arrange a meeting of esteemed members of the Arab League in Khartoum as a show of force. Let us not forget the African Union (AU), they too have expressed dismay and perhaps anger at the ICC's indictments. For to them it seems that only African leaders are indicted for war crimes, it cannot be that only Africans commit crimes against humanity. I agree with them, but as the former President of Nigeria Obasanjo once said, "if Africans do not clean their house, than others can come in and take over."
Some Sudanese in the DC area have started to protest every couple of weeks in front of the Sudanese Embassy. It is a little strange because the same people that we boo, and who eventually call the police on us, are the same people we see in social events and we are forced to pretend politeness to each other.
At the press conference today, Vice President Taha said that this indictment made it very difficult for the Sudanese government to guarantee the safety of UN forces and humanitarian missions. He also reasserted the government's claims that the Darfur conflict is a struggle over resources that is happening all over the Saharan belt, where desert meets savannah. That it is not a genocide. Basically he tried to remove every last drop of politics from the conflict.
In the short term things may get pretty bad on the ground, I just hope this will be a stick to prod Khartoum into the British peace proposal for Darfur. Many think that democratic transition in Sudan is only a matter of time. I hope that it will be sooner than later, and that Sudanese saying about corrupt leaders has no grain of truth in it, they say that one should "be afraid of those that are hungry, not the ones that have come hungry and fed."
The government reacted angrily and defiantly. But I am told that there is a real air of desperation in Sudan. The coup of more than a month ago has shaken the government. I just recently found out that my maternal great uncle and several members from my grandmother's town were involved in the coup. He is the nephew of our country's first Attorney General. They are from a non-Darfuri ethnic group, what the media would consider "Arab" ethnic group. In fact their ethnic group is the shared with many in the ruling class including vice President Taha. I was told the inclusion of many non-Darfuri ethnic groups, including so-called Arab ones has shaken many in the government. These members of the coup have been kept out of jail but are under surveillance. These members have been kept out of the media because right now Bashir and others are selling the coup, and indeed the whole conflict in Darfur as an ethnocentric conspiracy against their kind in Khartoum. For if the public knew that there are deep sympathies among the so-called elite Arab ethnic groups, than once again it ceases to be a conspiracy or mere insurgency from the lowly and primitive westerners, but rather a credible threat to their dictatorial rule.
The government has called in all their friends, including Russia and China, hoping that any resolution brought forth to the security council will be vetoed. They have called an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers. I believe that in a show of support they will arrange a meeting of esteemed members of the Arab League in Khartoum as a show of force. Let us not forget the African Union (AU), they too have expressed dismay and perhaps anger at the ICC's indictments. For to them it seems that only African leaders are indicted for war crimes, it cannot be that only Africans commit crimes against humanity. I agree with them, but as the former President of Nigeria Obasanjo once said, "if Africans do not clean their house, than others can come in and take over."
Some Sudanese in the DC area have started to protest every couple of weeks in front of the Sudanese Embassy. It is a little strange because the same people that we boo, and who eventually call the police on us, are the same people we see in social events and we are forced to pretend politeness to each other.
At the press conference today, Vice President Taha said that this indictment made it very difficult for the Sudanese government to guarantee the safety of UN forces and humanitarian missions. He also reasserted the government's claims that the Darfur conflict is a struggle over resources that is happening all over the Saharan belt, where desert meets savannah. That it is not a genocide. Basically he tried to remove every last drop of politics from the conflict.
In the short term things may get pretty bad on the ground, I just hope this will be a stick to prod Khartoum into the British peace proposal for Darfur. Many think that democratic transition in Sudan is only a matter of time. I hope that it will be sooner than later, and that Sudanese saying about corrupt leaders has no grain of truth in it, they say that one should "be afraid of those that are hungry, not the ones that have come hungry and fed."
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Coup D'Etat
It has been almost 2 years since last I was in Sudan, and last I posted. I'm excited to see some of the changes in Khartoum that my family and friends have told me about. I'm just not sure if I'll make it in time, before things get really bad, and few planes will fly into country let alone the city. This might seem dramatic, but I am reminded of the recent battles in Abyei. Abyei is an interesting town and district. It literally straddles the traditional North-South border. On that border is a wealth of oil reserves. What in the past would have been simple, local border skirmish, is now transformed into a national struggle between the government in the North and the government in the South over the control of sizable wealth generating resource. It was once under the rule of the chief, prince if you will, of the Dinka Ngok. No one can doubt the legitimacy of the Dinka Ngok's claim to Abyei, the problem is where to draw the lines, where does their land stop and Misseria land began?
The Dinka Ngok are the proxy of the government of the South, and the Misseria ethnic group are the proxy of the government of the North. Sadly, armed and unarmed civilians on both sides pay the price.
On a hopeful note, an agreement was recently signed between the two parties, with the inclusion of peace monitors. Furthermore, the case of Abyei has been referred to the International Court, both sides vowing to accept its verdict.
Despite this slimmer of optimism, I cannot forget the images from the attempted coup nearly a month ago. They say bad things come in threes, and overseas nearly a month ago there were no exceptions. There natural disasters that claimed the lives of thousands in Burma and China, and the quieter man made, and failed coup in Sudan. The last was reported for a day or two, and then forgotten at least in the western media. In Sudan, and other countries pictures were aired on television, printed in newspapers. Some showed devastated civilian areas of Omdurman, but most showed captured rebels. For the most part they were dead, not shot to death by military, no bullet wounds to be found. Rather their horribly disfigured bodies reveal a darker and brutal death.
It is understood, implicit in Sudanese politics that a failed coup means certain death for the perpetrators. It is expected that after a trial of sorts, the death sentence is carried out by hanging, or firing squad. Although a flawed process, it gave us some semblance of order. It allowed us Sudanese to pretend that we were an organized, orderly, and honorable and law abiding people. It allowed us to forget the illegitimacy of the current Khartoum regime, as soldiers paraded the streets exclaiming God is greater. Perhaps we thought we are not as savage as we had been portrayed in history.
However, those days of burying our heads in the sand are long gone. Aljazeera, and countless online newspapers and blogs will not let us forget the brutal images of this failed coup. What is more sinister perhaps is the Khartoum regime’s apparent sanctioning of the pictures for public consumption. The regime apparently saw nothing wrong in its treatment of the “terrorists.” Extrajudicial beatings, tortures and other crimes were merely a “democratically” elected government’s right to defend itself against a terror group. There are rumors in the press that the American government tipped off the regime in Khartoum about the coup, and that Libya and not Chad was involved in heavily arming the rebels. Whatever the case, Sudanese in Diaspora cannot continue to wring their hands, and shake their heads in dismay. Many of us non-Darfuris have been silent about the civil war in the South, about the recent atrocities of Darfur, thinking they had nothing to do with us, except perhaps blackening our reputation and the name of our great nation. The rebels may have suffered defeat, but they promised that as long as the citizens of Darfur cannot dwell in peace, neither will those in Khartoum. And what seemed to many, a conflict in far off provinces, is now very much in danger of engulfing the oh so great elephant trunk known as Khartoum, the city where the two Niles meet.
It was particularly painful for many of us who had broken bread, laughed and discussed secularism versus Islamism in government with these so-called terrorists less than a year ago. Only to see their disfigured, bloodied and broken bodies on the television, on the internet and in print, I had avoided looking at the pictures, telling myself I did not want to dishonor their memories. But it was an excuse to help me sleep and finally I did look at the pictures, studying them carefully. I felt a great sadness and pain for them, for their families. I felt shame for the country, and for all of us who are silently complicit in the rape of women and children, the rape of the quintessential Sudanese character, albeit a sexist one, but one that is upright and honorable.
If Zimbabwe has taught us anything, by us I mean dictators and others hungry for power, it is to not post the results of individual polling stations. This makes it incredibly difficult to stuff ballots and generally steal the election. I wonder what lessons the regime in Khartoum will take from the catastrophe in Zimbabwe. I so admire the opposition they put their lives on the line; I just wish they had better neighbors that would be bold enough to step forth. The domestic troubles of Zimbabwe have spilled beyond its borders, and the arguments of sovereignty have lost all legitimacy.
The Dinka Ngok are the proxy of the government of the South, and the Misseria ethnic group are the proxy of the government of the North. Sadly, armed and unarmed civilians on both sides pay the price.
On a hopeful note, an agreement was recently signed between the two parties, with the inclusion of peace monitors. Furthermore, the case of Abyei has been referred to the International Court, both sides vowing to accept its verdict.
Despite this slimmer of optimism, I cannot forget the images from the attempted coup nearly a month ago. They say bad things come in threes, and overseas nearly a month ago there were no exceptions. There natural disasters that claimed the lives of thousands in Burma and China, and the quieter man made, and failed coup in Sudan. The last was reported for a day or two, and then forgotten at least in the western media. In Sudan, and other countries pictures were aired on television, printed in newspapers. Some showed devastated civilian areas of Omdurman, but most showed captured rebels. For the most part they were dead, not shot to death by military, no bullet wounds to be found. Rather their horribly disfigured bodies reveal a darker and brutal death.
It is understood, implicit in Sudanese politics that a failed coup means certain death for the perpetrators. It is expected that after a trial of sorts, the death sentence is carried out by hanging, or firing squad. Although a flawed process, it gave us some semblance of order. It allowed us Sudanese to pretend that we were an organized, orderly, and honorable and law abiding people. It allowed us to forget the illegitimacy of the current Khartoum regime, as soldiers paraded the streets exclaiming God is greater. Perhaps we thought we are not as savage as we had been portrayed in history.
However, those days of burying our heads in the sand are long gone. Aljazeera, and countless online newspapers and blogs will not let us forget the brutal images of this failed coup. What is more sinister perhaps is the Khartoum regime’s apparent sanctioning of the pictures for public consumption. The regime apparently saw nothing wrong in its treatment of the “terrorists.” Extrajudicial beatings, tortures and other crimes were merely a “democratically” elected government’s right to defend itself against a terror group. There are rumors in the press that the American government tipped off the regime in Khartoum about the coup, and that Libya and not Chad was involved in heavily arming the rebels. Whatever the case, Sudanese in Diaspora cannot continue to wring their hands, and shake their heads in dismay. Many of us non-Darfuris have been silent about the civil war in the South, about the recent atrocities of Darfur, thinking they had nothing to do with us, except perhaps blackening our reputation and the name of our great nation. The rebels may have suffered defeat, but they promised that as long as the citizens of Darfur cannot dwell in peace, neither will those in Khartoum. And what seemed to many, a conflict in far off provinces, is now very much in danger of engulfing the oh so great elephant trunk known as Khartoum, the city where the two Niles meet.
It was particularly painful for many of us who had broken bread, laughed and discussed secularism versus Islamism in government with these so-called terrorists less than a year ago. Only to see their disfigured, bloodied and broken bodies on the television, on the internet and in print, I had avoided looking at the pictures, telling myself I did not want to dishonor their memories. But it was an excuse to help me sleep and finally I did look at the pictures, studying them carefully. I felt a great sadness and pain for them, for their families. I felt shame for the country, and for all of us who are silently complicit in the rape of women and children, the rape of the quintessential Sudanese character, albeit a sexist one, but one that is upright and honorable.
If Zimbabwe has taught us anything, by us I mean dictators and others hungry for power, it is to not post the results of individual polling stations. This makes it incredibly difficult to stuff ballots and generally steal the election. I wonder what lessons the regime in Khartoum will take from the catastrophe in Zimbabwe. I so admire the opposition they put their lives on the line; I just wish they had better neighbors that would be bold enough to step forth. The domestic troubles of Zimbabwe have spilled beyond its borders, and the arguments of sovereignty have lost all legitimacy.
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