Sudan and South Sudan on the verge of more bloodshed
Sudan and South Sudan on the verge of more bloodshed
Joachim de Villiers, Pierre Leblanc and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Omar al-Bashir, the President of Sudan, commented that he wanted to “liberate” the new entity of South Sudan from its own leaders. This was stated after forces from South Sudan entered and seized the Heglig oil field. It was generally believed that this area came under the jurisdiction of Sudan. However, recent ethnic-tensions in South Sudan appear to be based on meddling by the Khartoum government, into the internal affairs of South Sudan. Also, political leaders in Juba claim that they entered the region after the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) had launched an attack inside the territory of South Sudan.
In the past, the mainly African Animist and African Christian south suffered greatly because of Arabization and Islamization policies which were enacted by the Khartoum government. The enslavement of Africans by Arabs was still a reality in the 1980s and 1990s and untold millions died because of war and starvation. Therefore, when South Sudan was given independence in 2011 it was hoped that somehow both nations would build bridges.
Irrespective of which side is to blame for the latest crisis which erupted after the Heglig oil field was seized – it is clear that Omar al-Bashir is taking the crisis to another dimension and this is very worrying. The underlying fact is that memories from the past remain and because of internal tensions within both Sudan and South Sudan, and mutual mistrust between both nations, then the current crisis isn’t unexpected. This meant that the international community should have been better prepared for the threat of a possible war between both nations.
Omar al-Bashir stated that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) is nothing more than “insects” which need to be “eliminated.” Given the deaths of millions of Africans in the past because of Arabization policies and Islamization policies, then Omar al-Bashir should tone down his rhetoric. Also, the Khartoum government faces many internal problems related to Darfur and other regions within Sudan.
The ethnic and religious complexity of Sudan and South Sudan means that neither side can win because you have too many internal issues. Not only this, a war between both nations will merely increases the woes of both Sudan and South Sudan and ordinary people in both countries will suffer the economic implications. Therefore, international pressure is needed to be put on both nations because an all out war would be a calamity for both sides.
President Omar al-Bashir is implying that the crisis in Heglig will finish in either Juba or Khartoum. This implies an all out war but leaders in South Sudan want dialogue and this in itself points the finger at the Khartoum government. Obviously, mistakes will have been made on both sides but the rhetoric of President Omar al-Bashir is alarming.
The SAF is also under great pressure in Sudan in the Blue Nile, Darfur, and Southern Kordofan. Also, the fighting in Heglig doesn’t bode well for the Khartoum government therefore President Omar al-Bashir is playing a dangerous game. After all, South Sudan isn’t isolated because regional nations like Kenya and Uganda have great sympathy with South Sudan.
President Omar al-Bashir commented about the SPLM that “We say that it has turned into a disease, a disease for us and for the South Sudanese citizens. The main goal should be liberation from these insects and to get rid of them once and for all, God willing…Either we end up in Juba and take everything, or you end up in Khartoum and take everything.”
It is essential that pressure is put on both sides and a special buffer zone should be put into place between Sudan and South Sudan which is monitored by outside international institutions. The past caused the deaths of millions of people in Sudan and for this reason the international community needs to act quickly and implement real policies in order to solve the many complexities of both nations. Of course, this isn’t going to be easy but the people of Sudan and South Sudan deserve outside support because of the brutal wars of the past.
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