by Abdulbaqi Aliyu Jari Katsina
Until 9th July 2011, Sudan was the largest country in Africa and the Arab world, with 1.8 million kilometers, it has over 30 million people scattered in the vast area of the land. It capital Khartum is one of the major metropolice in Africa. Sudan is bordered to 7 countries including the Red sea and Eriteria by the east.
Until 1899 before the conquest of Sudan by kichener, Sudan was a very peaceful traditional islamic state, full of scholars and good leadership. It was against the imperial western colonial rule supported by renegade Egyptian brothers that made Mahadi of Sudan to take arms in the 1880s.
The Ottmans have been ruling Sudan for close to 40 years before 1880s. Also the ancient Nubians existed peacefully in the area some 3000 years ago.
After the creation and amalgamation of sudan early 1900s, just like Nigeria, a lot of diverging people, cultures, religions and interest were merged together by the colonial Egypt to form what was The Republic of Sudan. The Arabs been the dominants people of the then newly created Sudan, were given opportunity to rule from 1956 after gaining independence that very year.
The black population of the then Sudan, now South Sudan were not literate. Most of them lived in a remote villages except for Juba and some towns in the central south sudan or near Abyei region. The Arabs saw them as erstwhile slaves, as such, the Arabs believed that they deserve no honor and respect at all.
While time do change, people tend to do what may be said to be impossible before. The black agitation for independence kept on growing as people like John garang were fast into making people to resort to use of the “Guns”.
For over 25 years, war, massacre, Genocide were committed on both sides of the conflicting armies. Over 2 million perish in Sudan just like the Biafaran war in Nigeria. The Sudanese leadet Albashir is still wanted by the ICC. Though the ICC is biased and sentimental as people like George Bush, tony Blair, Obama, Obasonjo , Natanyahu are suppose to be there already. In 2005, a comprehensive peace deal was signed which lead to south sudan independence in 2011.
Three years after independent, South sudan still has no peace. No tract for a meaningful development has been laid. Just like many African countries, Civil war is the most dreaded thing that usually follows after independence. Algerian civil war of 1991, Nigeria’s 1970 civil war, Ethopia 1961, Madagascar 1947, Rwanda 1990, Uganda 1978, Cote’ d Voire in 2002,Mali 2012, Liberia 1999, Congo 1997, Chad 1979 and 2002. E.T.C. So will now South Sudan be added in the list, South Sudan 2014. It was said that ” No country survives to civil war”. Then I tend to wonder what of sudan? What is the future of world’s newest country? The future is now a mirage, vague and critically unclear.
The UN, AU, International Media have shown complicity and double standard as far as the war in South Sudan is concerned. The UN, AU up till now did not act wisely in resolving the conflict. It is only Ethopia and Kenya “waka com” to the aid of the people. The” multi national global mainstream media companies” under reported the stories. Unlike in places where they are interested like Israel, Ukraine and Even Nigeria. Two hundred girls were abducted and the world nearly got mad at it. While thousands are dying in South Sudan no one care about them.
Is high time the South Sudanes government, AU, UN to intervene for a lasting solution to be reached sooner not later.
Comrade Abdulbaqi Aliyu Jari Katsina,
Katsina Local Government council,
Katsina State of Nigeria.
+2348035424321.
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