The referendum on independence for Southern Sudan has come off with minimal violence, and it seems that Sudan's president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir will accept the inevitable outcome: Southern secession. The Obama administration is rightfully pleased with how the referendum has been carried out, but this is not the time to let up. A peaceful resolution to the North-South conflict may be possible, but there are many issues that are not yet resolved, and the situation in Darfur remains unstable and threatening to those living there in camps for displaced persons. We must urge the White House to stay engaged.
Some in the West, such as the Guardian's Simon Tisdall, have proclaimed that "Sudan's rehabilitation has begun." Tisdall seems so sanguine, in fact, that he even implies that "setting the much misunderstood Darfur situation to one side," Bashir is not really the bad actor that "right-wing American" activists portray him to be.
With all due respect to Tisdall, I ask: What?
Is there anything to be misunderstood about the organized slaughter in Darfur of as many as 450,000 men, women and children, the rape of tens of thousands of women and girls, the displacement of millions and the undermining of humanitarian groups trying to get them food, water and medicine? And how should we interpret the intense and sporadic outbreaks of new violence in that area in the last several weeks?
Is genocide something we can paper over as Tisdall suggests?
I wish I could be so optimistic -- Tisdall should be commended for breaking new ground in implying that I and my activist colleagues are "right wing" -- but the facts prevent me from sharing in his premature excitement over Sudan. It is naïve to assume that Bashir's cooperation with the referendum is anything other than real politik. Indeed, the Sudanese president has plenty of reasons, besides goodwill, to play nice. Not long ago, fellow activist John Prendergast offered a few:
If respecting a previously-signed treaty that mandated this referendum can sufficiently demonstrate that he is a "misunderstood" actor, then Bashir has won. But given his track record, the bar should be set much higher. Human rights abuses must end immediately and the Government of Sudan must allow for open expression; it must welcome the growth of civil society; it must do all it can to ensure that any future elections are free from violence and intimidation; and it must stop undermining humanitarian workers and peacekeepers trying to do their jobs. Since his party's re-election last summer, Bashir's government seems to be failing on all of these counts.
According to the Sudan Human Rights Monitor, here are just a few examples:
As the Sudanese government continues to intimidate journalists and prevent the organizing efforts of activists and civil society groups, its army continues to undermine the security situation in Darfur, which once again seems to be deteriorating. In addition to a September attack on a Darfuri village that killed dozens of civilians, an ongoing spate of isolated attacks on IDP camp leaders, and violent lootings of aid convoys by Sudanese army troops, 21 people died in late January during clashes between Darfuri rebel groups and the Sudanese army. The army has also recently raided two refugee camps without warning the joint United Nations-African Union (UNAMID) peacekeeping force -- a protocol it has agreed to follow before entering camps. It then prevented UNAMID personnel from entering the camps.
Now, even if we were to crawl under a rock and ignore one of the world's worst humanitarian situations, we would still be left with the situation between North and South Sudan. The referendum took place, people were allowed to vote, and Bashir seems to be standing by his word that he would recognize the South's independence. But how will the borders be drawn? What about the disputed Abeyei region, where the population remains bitterly divided? What will be the framework for sharing revenue from the oil fields in the South? What will be the terms for the South to use the oil pipeline, which runs through Northeastern Sudan to the Red Sea? And what will be the status of Southerners living in the North and vice versa?
These questions do not represent intractable obstacles, but there will be fierce disagreements and there is a critical need for an honest, top-level diplomatic effort to help navigate this nuanced terrain and broker a final deal. In the lead-up to the referendum, President Obama and his team proved capable of playing such a role.
Please join me in asking the White House to keep up the good work and to remain committed to peace in all of Sudan, including Darfur.
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With the separation of the South, you gain a valuable long term hedge against any "unfriendly" regime in Egypt. What happens when that unfriendly regime steps out of line? well, you threaten to turn off the tap....hmmm, let's build a giant dam in South Sudan. All of a sudden, if you are that unfriendly regime in Egypt, you think long and hard about how important water is to you and you get with the program.
There's an inherent bias here that if you are muslim, you can't be a free thinking and democratic country.
1) The US terrorist list and corresponding sanctions imposed on countries on that list are by law supposed to be for countries that sponsor terrorist groups. The US has acknowledged that Sudan has been helping the US in combatting terrorism and is not harboring terrorist. That alone should legally remove Sudan from the list.
2) The government in Sudan has accepted the referrendum that supports the South's decision to separate and form a new country.
These 2 issues were supposed to be the key requirements to remove sanctions on Sudan and enable it to come off the terrorist list. Sudan accepted this even though the 2 are NOT, by law, linked.
Now we hear that we want Sudan to solve Darfur...and after Darfur we want them to address any other political grievances be they in the East or North.
The decision to use the terrorist list as a political tool when the ONLY legal purpose is to truly address the issue of terrorism is not justified.
The policy of "moving the goal line" isn't in the best interest of the US. Short term win, long term lose. It sets a dangerous precedent where countries will question America's promise to honor its commitments.
P.S. I especially liked that separation referendum in which "99 percent" of the people voted to form a new country. You can't get 99 percent of any group to agree on anything, except in Third World elections.