South Sudan's seceding is more a fact that a thought. It is unstoppable. Come January 9th, southerners, as they've already indicated, will vote for freedom. Yeah. Freedom. Everybody wants to be free and, of course, everybody deserves to be free. Freedom means, among other things, honour, sense of belonging and deciding one's destiny.
This being the truth, what will north do? It must be noted. Northern Africans calling themselves Arabs or Jallaba , for long, have enslaved, killed, robbed, raped and subjugated southerners. In doing this, they forgot one cardinal thing: all goodies they thought are God given come from south. Look at oil, farm produce, water, pastures for their animals and what not.
Though in the beginning northerners rebuffed the idea of independence of southern Sudan, now that it is the fact, it is time for them to lick their wounds.
Notorious and obnoxious north has always been, it is time for it to behave well. For even Arabs who used to brainwash and use them will go where yum yum is- south.
We're encouraged by the stance taken by Sudanese dictator Omar Bashir shall he live up to his promise of honouring the verdict of the people in the coming referendum.
To us, freedom of South Sudan is the stepping stone for the freedom of Abyei, Nuba Mountains and Darfur. What agonize to the bone is what BBC recently reported, if it is true, that Southern Sudanese new regime promised Bashir not to support Darfur rebels. This is tarnishing the good name and promise this 54the new nation has. If other countries supported and helped SPLA what is wrong with helping Dafuris? Is this better than thou or reporting out of context?
Obviously, some can assert that when SPLA was fighting Khartoum, Darfur was in bed with Bashir thanks to his propagation of Islam. They, so too, goofed. They need to be forgiven.
I vividly remember the words of the late John Garang de Mabior as if he said them just yesterday . He was addressing the war prisoners from north and some government soldiers from Darfur.
He told them that what they are fighting for was not Islam but criminality dressed in the good suit of Islam. He went further as saying that once north is done with SPLA would turn to Darfur thanks to being regarded as slave simply because they don't identify themselves with Arab.
And indeed, this messianic prophecy was fully fulfilled even before his demise. For after signing the CPA, Khartoum turned to Darfur with new vim and zeal. To cut a long story short,what followed is history.
After all, Khartoum has always supported anti-SPLA elements to see to it that south does nary go solo. What's wrong with supporting Darfur?
We understand. Salva Kiir Mayardit and south Sudanese are mature and brave people. Being that is not the end in itself. They need others especially east Africa and other Sudanese states under siege.
So too, they need to abide by the law of reciprocity whereas they are duty bound to help their brethren in Darfur. Their enemy is one and the same. They all suffer the same anathema thanks to being black not a bit lighter like those Arab-duped northerners.
If, indeed, it is true that GOSS intends to expel Darfur fighters, this will indeed defeat its zeal of being an ideal new nation.
We urge south Sudanese not to tarnish their good image. In Africa we have a great saying that when you come across the stick that was used to whack your colleague you burn it. In this case the adage tells it all. Don't entertain or spare the stick that whacked your friend or neighbour as it has been the case in Sudan.
Look at the accompanying map and decide where real life lies. North needs south more than south needs north. So whatever north is promising not just because it is willingly. It is just because it has no way.
Source: Afro Spear Think Tank Jan. 8, 2011.
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