Sudan, once upon time, was the biggest country in Africa nevertheless it is an undisputable fact that Sudan is a great country with great nations, and great individuals. God has blessed and endowed it with all sorts of natural resources, wealth, and beauty that can propel it into the level and position of developed and civilized counties. Sudan is in abundance of fertile land, animal wealth, wild life, gold, uranium and many other valuable and previous minerals, vegetation cover, more than seven rivers that provide potable water for humans and animals consumption and horticultural irrigation, ground water, all sorts of climates, and all sorts of crops (cash crops and food crops), and Arabic Gum. You just imagine a country with such abundant resources and is one of the poorest countries on earth. One of the biggest food baskets in the world becomes the biggest beggar in the world. What a paradoxical equation!
It is unfortunate that such a great country to be plagued with such an inefficient and ineffective leadership, fragile governments, irresponsible political parties, disorganized civil society organizations that lack coordination and compass, and a Military Establishment that has totally abandoned its noble mission, duties and responsibilies and involved in a complicated political business whose knowledge, skills, and practices about it are below zero. A leadership whose interest is to govern by all means in order to practice corruption of all kinds (economic, political, administrative, social, and moral,). Governments whose interest is to plunge themselves into trivial political, partisan, and sectarian skirmishes and conflicts with their political opposition parties and groups whereas their citizens are bitterly suffering in the cold. Political parties with no national agendas but rather external and foreign-related agendas that only serve the interests and ambitions of other foreign countries and ideologies. A short-sighted leadership that lack vision, purpose, direction, and compass. A misleading leadership that has kept leading the country, Sudan, for more than seventy years to the abyss.
Common sense tells us that when a roof is ailing to fall apart, the conflicting or warring parties beneath this ailing roof immediately forget their differences and get united, raising up their arms to prevent the ailing roof from collapsing because the imminent or looming danger is more dangerous and more catastrophic than their trivial and shallow skirmishes. This common sense is the norm everywhere and happens everywhere in the world except in Sudan. Sudan is a uniquely exceptional country on earth. No tolerance, no confession, no concession, no recognition, no forgiveness, no love, no flexibility, no good-faith, no let bygones be bygones, no red lines, no sacred national constants but rather rigidity, adamancy, stubbornness, arrogance, confrontation, neck-breaking, impatience, ill-temperance, short-sightedness, vengeance, refusal, denial, and indifference. It said that common sense is not always common practice. Sudan is a country of wonders and uncertainty. The sustainable peace that we need is not possible in such a country. Sudan will keep bleeding for too long as long as these negative characteristics are vividly alive in the DNA and genetic structure of Sudan.
Due to these chaotic situations and context, multitudes of revolutionary armed movements in the peripheral and marginalized areas have hatched and emerged to the surface in pursuit of reforming or stifling this political chaos. The paradox is that, most of these armed revolutionary movements are carrying the same identical lethal viruses of the Sudanese political parties. Most of them lack clear visions and principled solutions to the day-to-day citizens’ problems and challenges. Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/North (SPLM/N) together with some other few Armed Revolutionary Movements are an exception. They have clear projects with clear visions, missions, and strategic goals. In addition to that, they have well-structured mechanisms of implementation that make these visions and strategic goals come true.
Now, Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement/North (SPLM/N) has become an integral part of the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS). This Giant and indomitable Alliance (TASIS) aims at making sustainable peace a reality. Irrespective of the diverse, different, and controversial opinions and points of view about TASIS’ Constitution and Charter but undoubtedly its Charter and Constitution remain one of the most important frames of reference for a sustainable peace that we need in Sudan. TASIS has made its contribution through its Charter and Constitution. It is a call for a genuine dialogue to build a sustainable peace that we need in Sudan. Shortly, and surely, a space will be allocated for more genuine discussions about TASIS Charter. Absolute perfection and absolute consensus are not possible. Dialogue is about relative consensus and relative perfection that will contribute in creating a conducive environment that will help in building a New Sudan that accommodates us with our diversity (ethnic, linguistic, religious, social, cultural, political, economic, geographical, and color).
I conclude this article by saying that the sustainable peace that we are all looking for and striving to make falls within the circle of our concern and that no one has the right to claim that he or she has the monopoly of absolute right to craft or coin, on our behalf, the sustainable peace that we need. Peace making is a process that necessitates joint efforts of the concerned individuals and groups. No one single person or group or organization or party or movement has the capacity to make sustainable peace in isolation of the contributions of other parties. It is said, none of us is as smart as all of us. Good-faith, humility, flexibility, good communication are key ingredients for the processes of peace-making, peace-building, and peace-keeping. The sustainable peace that we all need will never get actualized and materialized unless we all agree to sit down on equal basis under the Roof of National Project where no one or no one group or no one party, or no one religion or no one ethnicity or no one tribe or no one color or no one geographical area is more equal than others. Peace
No for this Futile and Brutal War, Yes for Sustainable Peace.
Stay Well and Tuned.
To be continued.
Mahjoub Saleem
Kampala