John Garang, selected as Vice President of the newly appointed Sudanese government only three weeks ago, was killed yesterday in a helicopter crash. His death is an untimely threat to peace in Sudan, and we should all take note. Here are some reasons why.
The promise of peace after over 20 years of civil war in any country is reason for hope and rejoicing. In Sudan, the implications of this peace and a shared government of national unity also augured well for a possible solution to the ongoing genocide in Darfur.
The conflict between John Garang’s SPLM (Sudan People’s Liberation Movement) and the Khartoum Arab dominated government began in 1983. It resulted in the deaths of over 2 million people and several million more refugees. The issues that underscore this conflict apply to many other countries and situations in the world today and the hopes for their resolution could have a positive influence on other conflicts including Iraq.
Underscoring issues were religious and ethnic differences, balance of power and economic wealth between regions (north and south in Sudan) and a struggle for rights to oil wealth. Does any of this sound familiar?
Under pressure from the years of civil war and the international community, (and perhaps to deflect attention from the genocide in Darfur), the Khartoum Government signed a peace agreement with the SPLM rebels last January. A new Government of national unity was formed and John Garang, the legendary rebel leader, was named Vice President to his former nemesis President Omar al –Bashir. Some of the ground breaking and key ingredients of the peace are the option for a vote on secession in six years, the sharing of oil revenues and the lifting of Shar’ia (Islamic) law on non-Muslim Sudanese in the south.
(It is also worth noting that much of the humanitarian work and political lobbying that has been done on behalf of the southern Sudanese over the last 20 years has been implemented by Christian groups whose intimate knowledge of the atrocities of the Sudanese government has also influenced the Bush administration in their position on Darfur where the genocide is directed at non-Arab Muslims by Arab Muslim militia).
Some of the 2.5 million refugees from the civil war who live in atrocious conditions in camps around Khartoum rioted today and I am not surprised they did – I have seen how they live, talked to them and know their fears. Thousands of other refugees are slowing trekking home to the promise of new lives of opportunity and hope. The BBC has a marvelous account of this trek by Bill Lorenz on their website. This could be the model for millions of Darfurian refugees to return home.
The promise of peace in the south of Sudan must be honored. The Khartoum Government and all foreign interests including our own government, must honor the SPLMs choice of successor to John Garang. Without this there will be more bloodshed in Sudan, no prayer of peace in Darfur and one less model for resolution in this troubled world.