Darfur Voices

The
Khartoum Monologue

Under “synonyms”, monologue appears as meaning {an entire play or motion picture in which only one actor appears and speaks}. Sounds familiar in the case of “Sudan People’s Initiative” as Khartoum christens its conference on Darfur??? A conference in which the major stake-holders are absent, unrepresented or misrepresented by the governments cronies is nothing but a tragicomically scripted monologue in which the government talks to itself.
 

With overly hyped inauguration, the conference opened in Kenana, a sight of a sugar factory in Central Sudan, attended by high level delegation from the “sister countries” of the Arab League and the African Union, in addition to allies like China. Mr. Bashir was presiding over the conference, talking about his “initiative” to end the war in Darfur and eventually “saving his neck” which is the ultimate goal of all this hoopla.  

Flanked by his “new best friend” Sadiq Al-Mahd, the president of the Umma Partyi, and Ahmed Al-Mairghani, the number two leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Salva Kiir, the Charmin of the SPLM and General Sowar Al-Dahab,  formaer transitional president of Sudan 1985-86. By taking a snap shot of the men at the high table, your mind can’t help but wonder: what is wrong with this country. Except for Salva Kiir, who is a new face in the political scene in Sudan, the rest have been there from time immemorial, and the situation is getting worse by the day, but who is counting??

The conference was opened without defined agenda and clear objectives. As if by saying  the conference is a gathering of Sudanese that are going to look into the issue of Darfur is enough to make this souk a success. The bazaar of initiatives continue, with the GoS now shopping locally after going around carrying their “baggage” to all the markets abroad. The GoS is desperate to hear the echo of its own voice since the assumed “dialogue” is within “the “family” and in the absence of the “other-the Darfurian”. Some analysts view this as a preemptive move to undercut the Qatari conference on Darfur which is supported by the Arab League who see Sudan as a burden now, and would try to resolve this issue quickly even if the outcome does not favor the regime in Khartoum. Others think the conference as one of the government tactics to show a strong domestic front and a national referendum on the popularity of the GoS policies at home.

In my humble opinion, I believe the GoS is wasting time on distractions instead of using its limited resources to seek lasting solutions to the Drafur issue, and the rest of the ailments distressing the country. The strategy of delay and stall has long since turned to the tragedy of successive failures and fewer chances to find solutions. Only the GoS can pull itself out of the Darfur conflagration, unfortunately for the regime, its choice of “fire-fighters’ may keep the fire ablaze, for time to come.

The issue of detaining Darfurians and shipping them to Sudan at the behest of Mr. Bashir needs to be explored. But wait: that is not new. It did not start with Darfurians. Remember General Abdelaziz Khalid, the Commander of the Sudanese Allied Forces?? He was detained in the United Arab Emirates in September of 2004 and extradited to Khartoum in November. Several human rights organizations rebuked the Emirates for doing that, and warned Khartoum of doing anything to jeopardize the safety and the welfare of General Khalid.

After the crises in Darfur began to be understood, thousands of Darfurians in Diaspora organized themselves in small groups advocating for the plight of their people around the world. The efforts of these Darfuri men and women had taken this issue far and wide beyond the wildest dreams of the victims of this tragedy. In all corners of the earth, and in communities that will not hear of this place otherwise, the message was clear: help fellow human beings that are in dire need and safe them from their own brethren. That very success became the ingredient of demise for most. The Government of Sudan (GoS) started targeting these activists and harassing them.

It is no secret that the majority of the Arab countries stood by Khartoum against the greater part of Darfurians. Some Arab countries looking at this issue as a pretext for intervention by the “axis of Evil” that is the US and Israel, in “another” Muslim country. Others are supporting the “Arab” government in Khartoum against the attack by the propagators of “Africanism” led by the fans of the “New Sudan” slogan that advocates an African identity and a return of the “Land of the blacks” to its “rightful” owners. The GoS, true to its opportunistic nature, sensed a soft spot there where it can hit Darfurians abroad the same way that it tries to drain the pond to catch the fish at home.

One strategy adopted by the GoS was to work with its “allies” east of the Red Sea to harass the Darfuri professionals and business men to hit the rebel movements where it hurts, the deep pockets of their “surrogate financiers”. In the criminal mind of the GoS, all Darfurians are guilty, and they should never be given a chance to prove their innocence. A staggering number of business men and professionals were detained, harassed by security authorities in almost all the Golf states, extradited to Khartoum where they faced all kinds of torture and abuse, and the lucky ones were given a chance to move to Europe or Africa. The infamous case of Engineer Abulgasim is a stark illustration of the limit to which the GoS and its allies can go in their lynch-mob style quest to hunt Darfurians down. Mr. Abulgasim was snatched out of his place of work, denied the right to go back to his home to alert his family and put things in order before he was shoved inside a GoS jet and flown to Khartoum. His work in Saudi Arabia of over two decades, his services to the Saudi people, his career and the welfare of his family meant nothing, not to mention his human rights and the breaching of his work contract.

Today, the witch hunt continues with utter impunity and with new categories of victims added as the GoS and its allies perfect their tools of denigration of Darfurians. Mohamadain Abdel Hameed Haroun is a refugee in Yemen. He worked for over fifteen years as a teacher in the Sudanese school in Sana’a, the Capital . He, like many innocent Darfurians who never been back to their home land for years and years, were vilified by the GoS and its allies that put him on a wanted list that the GoS distributed among the security authorities of the “sister countries” to capture and extradite to Sudan. Shamelessly, the GoS purports that the names on the wanted list are individuals who participated on the attack on Omdurman in May of this year. Mr. Haroun never left Yemen, and he certainly never set foot on Omdurman. His crime, like that of many of his compatriots, is perhaps cheering the JEM rebel group for their daring attack in the heart of their tormentor. Another reason might be that his brother is one of JEM’s leaders. It is a classic case of guilt by association.

While the peace loving nations of the world are working to put an end to the misery of the people of Darfur, and while the Darfurians are working hard to end their factionalism and divisions, the GoS is working hard targeting the best and the brightest of the Darfurians that can make a difference and can become partners in peace.

The security driven military solution paradigm of the GoS should not be allowed to stand. A negotiated settlement and peaceful resolution shift in strategy should be encouraged, if the world wants to see an end to the Darfur tragedy. The onus is on the GoS to change the strategy of its Gestapo-run regime, and opt for solutions that start with respecting the rights of Darfurians, and stop targeting their intellectuals.

My name is Omer Ismail, I’m from Darfur. This new blog is an attempt to communicate with you, and million others around the globe to work on solutions to this crisis in Darfur and in other places in the world. Your contribution to this discussion is welcome and I hope we all have the patience and tolerence to accommodate those who disagree with us.

Let the discussions begin,

Salam,
Omer