AU: Sudan like powder keg!

In an interview with French broadcaster RFI recently, AU commission chairman Jean Ping was quoted as thus: "We have a feeling that we are sitting on a powder keg."

It is true. But who’s to blame in the first place? AU has always sits on many powder kegs such as, Madagascar, Western Sahara Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe just to mention but a few. Unfortunately, it hasn’t learned from the past experience in which it always maintained its double standard and flip-flop. Will this prevent a baby from taking a Hoober-Bloober Highway ? Noway. The baby must be born despite all pangs the mummy is to go through.

"Will the independence of Southern Sudan not lead other players in Darfur and in other places, which are currently not asking for independence, to seek independence as Southern Sudan will have done?"

This is but pure water and on whatever foundation this shallow thought is under-girded, won’t move things forward. What emollient claptrap! By the way where was AU, and what constructive role did it play, when things were taking this turn? Why didn’t this happen when Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia ? If it is a solution so be it.

AU was told to intervene fully in Darfur ; it didn’t apart from sending a weak contingent. Instead, many of heads of states making AU are openly supporting Sudanese butcher Omar Bashir. They’ve ganged behind him to see to it that he is not being submitted to ICC for fear of others to follow thereafter.

Ping and all the likes, agog and gaga, tell it to the birds. The people of South Sudan have to decide their destiny and so be it. I know. Many opportunists would like to team up with the top dogs (Bashir) to underrate underdogs (Mayardit). But again, who knows? Today’s top dog can become an underdog and the underdog of today becomes the top dog of tomorrow. We’ll soon see this in Sudan , pronto.

While AU is playing schnook role, Bashir, despite all, is upbeat. He’s quoted as thus: "We will work to make unity attractive to all Sudanese, but we will respect the wish of southerners whatever the outcome and we will be the first to recognize such a southern state."

Bashir said the same at a rally marking the 5th anniversary of the peace pact that ended more than 20 years of civil war between the north and south on 21st January 2010.

This was the first time for Bashir to offer the olive branch to his brethren in south. Was this an accident or claptrap? Is Musumar (nail) -as Darfuris would put it- eating him up? Is his Northerners-are-better-to-rule milieu turning against itself?

He too well knows. He can not stand in the way of the people of South Sudan to decide their future. He knows. Shall he repeat the same mistake; they’ll go back to the bush. He knows how determinedly ready they are. Nobody wants this to reapt. And those saying all this nonsense need to be told to their face that south Sudanese will nary compromise their freedom and resources with anything.

African rulers and their conspirators can nary weigh anything up so as to wish well people suffering under Khartoum bloodthirsty regime they fully support and nourish. If Darfur or Nuba Mountains goes freedom that will bring peace to their people as opposed to current carnage, so be it. It is better to have a peaceful fragmented country than a tyrannically united one.

Those wrongly thinking that South Sudan and North Sudan will not make good neighbours should ask themselves. Why did the duo consent to end a two-decade war? New North Sudan won’t attempt any aggression thanks to having no muscles. Methinks. North Sudan will be weaker than South Sudan politically and economically.

Even if it attempts to assault south, it won’t thanks for what it evidenced during the twenty-one wars with South. This is when the necessity of peace comes in.

There is a season for everything under the sun. There are times for wars and times for peace. There are times for life and times for death; times for fears and times for strengths. Time for strength for South Sudan is approaching. And those worrying about this will soon be proved dead wrong.

Time for the reconstruction and resurrection of South Sudan is indeed now. It won’t pay off to stand in the way for this natural phenomenon to take place. By metamorphosis or symbiosis South Sudan must exist and excel.

You can see this in the words of Kenyan PM Raila Odinga he said at the just ended AU conference in Addis Ababa . He was quoted as thus: "Given the unprecedented advances the CPA entrenched in promoting democracy, it has been distressing to learn that senior-most officials in the two organisations (UN and AU) oppose the referendum’s option of creating a sovereign nation in the South."

Despite AU openly supporting Khartoum regime, the PM did not mince his words. He added: "Having done so much to advance this historic process of self-determination, it is preposterous that anyone would now seek a predetermined outcome."

When it comes to Sudan crisis Botswana and Kenya have called a spade spade. This makes them have high moral authority when it comes to comment on the future of the same. So it is better for those that failed South Sudan to keep their big mouths shout and evidence history being made.

Come shine or high water, South Sudan will nary remain in an abusive and exploitative marriage with the north.
Source: The African Executive Magazine Feb. 10, 2010.