Political Insecurity and Instability in Sudan

15 April 2009: An Aljazeera Exclusive reveals how the "Sudan Rebels Fight to Forge a New Country."


The largest force is the Justice and Equality Movement. This group consists of over 38 million people in 24 Sudanese states, Al-Jazeera English (Muslim intl. news provider) reports. JEM is one of several groups aligned with Khalil Ibrahim. JEM is majorly comprised of Al-Zaghawa tribesmen in Southern Sudan.

Picture found on Publik15's Flickr.

JEM is one of several rebel movements aligned with Ibrahim. These factions call themselves the United Regions of Sudan (URS). Although they deny the claims made by their government, it is believed that the groups are supported by the president of Chad (also part of the Al-Zaghawa tribe). JEM is the only of the united group that signed the peace treaty with the Sudanese Government in 2005; even so, they have cooperated with URS in numerous attacks on Khartoum, allegedly funded by the government of Chad.

The groups were once divided on cultural grounds, but they have overcome that in this uncertain, vulnerable time for the Sudanese government in Khartoum. The URS leaders argue that 95% of the countries wealth (oil) is controlled by the "North" and Arab elite; meanwhile, they only see a meager 5% and they want "more power and more money".

Chief Khalil Ibrahim told Agence France Presse (AFP) that he refused to attend the Arab League summit in Qatar to protest the cooperation with Omar al-Bashir, a mass murderer, and their disregard for the ICC warrant. Many of these long-oppressed people are out for blood and will not cease attacks until the government surrenders or falls.

JEM and Ibrahim will surely play a large role in forging a new political system for Sudan. I, however, am unsure that any single group in Sudan ought to be given a primary rule in the future state. These people have been through and lot and they may be out for revenge. They may not even be able to handle the flood of power control they obtain. No, I think that the new Darfur would be best divided into a more culturally representative democracy.

I am only speculating and not offering any solutions. I, being a journalist raised in North America, am unfamiliar with the ideologies of the general public in Sudan. Any plan for "democracy" cannot be created in the image of western-style democracy. This has been seen to fail repeatedly.

A democracy will only truly survive if it is rebuilt with the remains of a tattered nation. It must embrace and encompass the diversity, cultural integrity and ideological collectivity of that nation. One cannot just barge in, create a democracy as you see it and then leave expecting the nation not to fall into chaos. An ethnically diverse nation like Sudan needs to unite the factions and forge a system of cultural checks and balances. Resources need be redistributed and a new economic plan adopted as well, to ensure the long term survival of Sudan.

There will never be peace when populations struggle for the bare necessities, when men and women die daily from starvation and lack of clean, accessible water while others sit in palaces eating feasts and drinking champagne.

The Devil Came on Horseback

The Devil Came on Horseback - trailer



Check out the trailer for thee Hollywood production on the genocide in Darfur. The Devil Came on Horseback produced by Anne Sudberg and Ricki Strend was released in U.S. theaters at the end of this summer 2007. Rotten Tomatoes gave the documentary a 98% on the "Tomatometer," calling it "both a strong primer on the complexities of the situation in Darfur and a harrowing first-person doc."

This award-winning documentary debuted at Sundance Film Festival in 2007 at the Laemmle Music Hall. The Break Thru Films Production depicts the crisis in Darfur through the eyes of Brian Steidle. He was part of a the Joint Military Commission in the Nuba Mountains. They were there to oversee the ceasefire and he soon took the position as the Senior Operations Officer's Team Leader. He was moved by what he witnessed in Sudan and decided to spread the word. He has spoken at many conventions and public awareness events and is part of Global Grassroots Organization.

The film includes over 1000 of Steidle's pictures and allows viewers to experience the revelations that Brian himself had. It is a must see!

And All the While People Die

Humanitarian aid in Darfur is still under attack. Two more aid workers have been kidnapped and many more live in constant fear. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) intends to address this problem, but is this enough?

Humanitarian aid groups are threatened.

With the second incident of kidnapping of aid workers and the violence erupting in Darfur due to lack of supplies, humanitarian workers in the region are under constant threat and having a hard time providing sufficient aid to the people of Darfur. They are without sufficient personnel and funding, and are watching their collective efforts deteriorate before their eyes. If the situation is not addressed soon, there may be up to 1.5 million displaced people in danger of starvation and/or death by disease.

Currently, the aid groups are being blamed for collaborating with the ICC in its successful effort to indict Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan's head-of-state, on war crimes and issue a warrant for his arrest. This has led the Sudanese government to cease cooperation with international aid groups. They are delaying the acceptance of new groups and, indirectly causing the deterioration of an already unstable situation.

On the 4th of this month, two Aide Medicale Internationale workers from Canada and France were kidnapped at gunpoint. This is the second in what seems to be a series of abductions of aid workers. They were taken overnight from their compound in Ed El-Fursan. The kidnappers demand $200 USD for the safe return of the hostages.

The expulsion of the 13 groups and the threats to remaining ones has left the people of Darfur helpless and desperate. The international community has condemned the expulsions, but Sudan is unwilling to budge and does not seem to be caving to the pressure. If anything, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir is flaunting his freedom and his allegiances to the rest of the world. Yet again, he is allowing genocide by attrition to consume the Darfuri population.

What is the next move?

A U.S. Special Envoy was sent to the region to assess the situation. One envoy member, Scott Gration, said the expelled groups are not likely to return and that they need to focus their efforts in three ways:

• By building up the existing groups.


• Through recruiting and funding new groups, especially ones from Arab nations and Western Nations in good relations with Sudan.


• And by speeding up the visa processes for current aid groups applying to enter Sudan.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) announced on Friday that they have a plan to send "urgent and continued aid services" to the region. They plan to help rebuild the war-torn western regions and to help refugees return home. To accomplish this they want to coordinate cooperation between the Muslim NGOs in Darfur and the UN's expelled aid groups. There are 25 Muslim aid groups currently in the region that are based in OIC member countries. This is nearly 20% of all existing aid in Darfur, and coordination of this 20% with outside sources could produce very promising results. The OIC, however, is also in full support of Al-Bashir's defiance of the ICC. They believe it was a poor move on the international community's part. Hopefully their plan can make up for this divergence in arguments which has left a third party, the Darfuri people, caught in the middle and left in a very vulnerable situation.

Facebook Users= Bounty Hunters

Facebook is an online social forum used by over 175 million people worldwide. The War Crimes Watch has utilized this website as a means of capturing two wanted War criminals for the Darfur Genocide. These two men, Ahmed Haroun and Janjaweed leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, had been in hiding since indicted in 2007, and WCW decided getting their faces out over Facebook was a good way to reach the most people in the fastest amount of time.

Facebook also hosts many groups fighting for the Darfur cause:

• For Every 1,000 That Join This Group, I will Donate $1 to Darfur. (425,157 members)


• SAVE Darfur. (37, 836 members)


• SAVE DARFUR. (2,403 member)


• Darfur Awareness. (3,763 members)


• Team Darfur. (1,680 members)


• Remember Darfur. (1,363 members)

There are over 500 similar groups that do anything from raising money to raising awareness to pressuring governments to make a difference in Darfur.

As you can see, this is a powerful forum because it has such a far reach. Social websites like Twitter, MySpace and Facebook are emerging tools for journalists, activist groups and the like to recruit supporters and even gather useful information. No one will be left unaccountable when people a world apart can gather to discuss what is happening in their communities. No longer will inhumanity we tolerated if we can expose it on a global scale and incite massive protests through these online forums.

In a globally connected world, nothing will be swept under the rug.

Confessions of a Sudanese Soldier

Face to Face: Confronting the Enemy

"They are black; I am black; This shouldn't be happening." When CNN Senior International Correspondent, Nic Robertson, interviewed "Adam" a soldier for the Sudanese government's secret army, he found himself conflicted about how to feel about the man across from him.

This man, he knew, was responsible for raping and murdering the people of Darfur. The same people he and his colleagues had forced to relive their horrific experiences in the name of news and justice. This man was the enemy, but why did Mr. Robertson feel empathy for this poor soul.

Once you realize what these soldiers were put through, you may too. "Adam" and his fellow "black" soldiers were conscripted to the army in about 2002 unaware that they would be forced to fight people they felt closer to than those they fought beside. They were not paid and were made to believe they were only there temporarily. Many were collected at the local marketplace, given a Kalashnikov and told to fire at targets.

The Fighting Begins

When his commander announced that they would soon head off to burn and kill people, "Adam" began to realize what was going on. He finally saw what they wanted of him; they expected him to fight and kill people like himself for someone else to gain. By then, there was no getting out, because, at the same time, the commanders also announced that anyone who tried to escape would be killed.

"Adam" then moved on to a more grave topic. He discussed what happened in the raids. Men were forced to rape women and girls alike. He spoke softly of this, the only hint to Nic that the man did not like what he had done. He spoke of taking down his pants and just laying on a girl because he was unable to get it up. He spoke of watching men double team women as they cried out in fear and pain. In some of the camps correspondent Robertson visited, he was told that some 20 babies were born every month as a result of these rapes. Many of these children have been abandoned by their mothers, who could not stand to look at them without experiencing a flood of mental and emotional flashbacks of the terrible events.

Escaping the Army

At one point, "Adam" came very close to escaping the army but was caught. As a punishment, he was tied to a tree with burning tires hanging above him. He showed Nic the scars from where the melted rubber had scorched his skin. Eventually, however, he managed to escaped for good.

After leaving one army, he went to find his sisters and they helped him join the other. Knowing he came from the army they were fighting left his new allegiance suspicious of him. He was not allowed to fight for the rebels, and, instead, was forced to remain in the camp day in and day out. It was not until the camp was bombed that he even got away.

As much as one resents this man for his part in the destruction of the people of Darfur, one must also pity him for how much he too was fucked with. Can you imagine being forced to do such gruesome things? This is not to say that every "black black" fighter on the Sudanese side was innocent, but that the real criminal behind it all was the government of Sudan. These men were mere pawns in a greater game. They were disposable soldiers. Who is to say that the government was not specifically picking these men to literally KILL two birds with one stone?

The only people who really won in this war were those who sat back and watched. When will we finally hold those people accountable? It will be a glorious day when someone puts that ASSHOLE, Omar Al-Bashir, behind bars.

I am sorry for my inappropriate language, but this article has brought emotions out that I never knew I had in me. If this article doesn't make you want to get out and do something for the people of Darfur, then I do not know what would.

A Home is a Home, Right?

This is where the refugees of Darfur live, in tiny little houses, because they were forced out of their homes by the big wigs living comfortably in their Mansions in Khartoum. Image found on Flickr's Creative Commons site in user: mknobil's online portfolio.






In contrast, this is the Republican Palace in Khartoum where Al-Bashir and the government of Sudan do business. Image provided by the SBP lighting Company in charge of setting the light fixtures for the entire palace.

Gaming for Darfur

There is an interactive computer game called Darfur is Dying where the player is a refugee in a camp and has to complete certain tasks to stay alive and keep their community alive. Simple tasks like getting water are life threatening feats to these displaced Darfurians.

If you lose the game and are captured, the following window explains what might happen to you now. When I, the little girl character, was discovered in my attempt to get water for the camp, I was captured by militia. The folowing page told me that "Girls in Darfur face rape, abuse and kidnapping by the Janjaweed." Once you lose one part of a family, they do not return and you have to choose between the other members for your next task.

When you enter the camp itself, you are presented a welcoming page outlining the daily threats refugees there face. Inside the camp, you also have tasks to accomplish in order to keep the community alive.

• To feed your village you must water all the vegetable gardens by collecting water from pumps outside the camp. If your gardens flourish, you can return for harvest season.


• You must also build homes for the families in your community. This also entails bringing water. The water is mixed with dirt to make bricks.


• Do not forget to also stay healthy. When you are sick you must visit the clinic, but realize you will only be treated in rations and it is best to go when new WHO provided medical supplies and WFP food supplies arrive.


• Finally, you have to escape or hide when the militia come or you are subject to abuse, rape and murder!

In the game, there is a threat meter. This informs you how likely an attack is in the imminent future. This is similar to the word of mouth and the guards who alert camps of approaching militia. Beware when the meter goes red.

Aside from real-life stimulated games, the site offers links to more informative sites for research on Darfur. Sudan [Translating Genocide] link takes you to a place where you can watch a documentary made by 3 college student who traveled to camps in Chad in 2005. Sudan [Take Action] web page gives you a list of opportunities to make a difference. From this site you can:

1. Educate yourself on the Darfur Crisis.


2. E-mail the U.S. government.


3. Join a growing divestment movement (and learn more about it).


4. Donate money, supplies, etc.


5. Check out a benefit album published for the cause and sign a global petition.


6. And, of course, find out more ways you can get involved.

This is a great way to teach people about the Darfur crisis. It is fun, so young people will not feel like they are researching or anything. At the same time, it is very informative and demonstrates the everyday struggle that these refugees face. By playing a game, you can also educate yourself and get motivated to make a difference. Once you are motivated, making a difference is only a mouse click away!