Sudan vs. South Sudan: A war over ownership of resources and Recognition of national Sovereignty
12 min readBy John Bith Aliap, Adelaide, South Australia
The people of the Republic of South Sudan fought a long-deadly war that has ever been recorded in the world’s history with the North Sudan just to escape the wraths of Islamic chauvinism, humiliation, social, political and economic marginalization and equitable distribution of national resources. This war has of course, accorded South Sudanese citizens with a ‘golden chance’ to raise their flag high, for the first time in Sudan’s history in Juba, the capital city of the Republic of South Sudan to symbolize the declaration of political, economical, social, religious and cultural independence from Jihadists’ state in the north.
However, this ascension to independence was seen locally, nationally, regionally and internationally as one more step in the peace process that is supposed to bring the peoples from both north and south of Sudans to co-exist in peace as good neighbors bond by trust and mutual understanding. Convincingly, the Khartoum regime, headed by the internationally wanted fugitive, Omer el Bashir has never allowed the aspirations and sentiments of peace to triumph between these two nations.
Following the independence celebration with reflection of mixed feelings in reference to the losses and gains of the two decades civil war, the people of South Sudan began to beat-up their chests, claiming that they are free citizens in their own country, but in contrary, the real sense of independence has in verity not been well understood in Khartoum, which has before and even after the independence of South Sudan been beating-up the drums of war as many people in the South referred to it. Thus, the independence of the Republic of South Sudan has yet to register in Khartoum’s hard-liners’ minds, and therefore, South Sudan according to their colonial mentality, should still be subjected to daily belligerence. As the history goes down, despite the international recognition of South Sudan as an independence country, Khartoum government continued its usual antagonism including; daily aerial bombardments and ground assaults against the state of South Sudan and the international community, which is now renting about the withdrawal of South Sudanese’s troops from Panthou, remained hush on this issue of regime’s aggression, expecting South Sudan to remains calm while being slapped on the face by the regime.
The creditability of the so-called international community; even the stupidest people in the world can now understand in the case of south-north sudans that the international community has lost its legitimacy and thus, became a lame-duck organization composed of people with vast interests. The African Union (AU) the European Union (EU) the United States (US) United Nation Security Council (UNSC) and Arab League (AL) have unquestionably paid diminutive attention to crimes committed in Darfur, Blue Nile, South Kordufan and now the Republic of South Sudan by Khartoum’s regime. To waste no time, the above named organizations have become perpetrators of crimes due to their unrealistic support of Bashir’s regime which has brutally been butchering innocence civilians in the Republic of South Sudan and other parts of the region right in their eyes. Their calls on South Sudan to withdraw its troops in their ‘illegally occupied territories’ amount to rewarding a criminal ‘Khartoum regime’ and blaming the victim ‘South Sudan government and its people’. This move is upside-down. The people of South Sudan would like the international community to re-direct its call on the right sport-the ‘Khartoum regime’ which is responsible for the current skirmishes on the border.
The recent example of Khartoum’s aggressions towards the Republic of South Sudan is the Abyei’s issue, the South Sudanese’s region which is currently being occupied and administered illegally by Khartoum’s regime. On the May 20th 2010, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), currently on the run, invaded Abyei which according to the history is indisputably a part of South Sudan. This intentionally planned attack on southern territory has resulted to many civilians casualties, lost of properties and massive displacements. The international community in that time remained silence, and this had created a situation where Khartoum’s regime thinks that despite its aggression, the international community can make no condemnation for its attack against South Sudan.
As an attempt to avoid the return to war with Khartoum’s regime which is led by blood-thirst gangs, the Republic of South Sudan in its part made a series of complaints to the international community about Khartoum’s aggressive behavior, but surprisingly, all these series of complaints made by the government of South Sudan before and after the independence all fall on deaf ears from the peripheries of the international community which is now ignorantly calling for withdrawal of South Sudanese troops from alleged northern territories.
The regime in Khartoum has an intention to control resources in the Republic of South Sudan, notably the oil, the cause of the current raging war along the border. A sensible person, whether a South Sudanese or not can truly ask a question that; where on this earth can an independence country akin to the Republic of South Sudan, which has its own, supreme, absolute and uncontrollable power like any other independence nations in the world, allows its national resources to be controlled by other state, as it’s what Khartoum presently wants? The Khartoum’s regime should know and acknowledge that the Republic of South Sudan is a sovereign state with its own right and power to regulates, controls and manages its resources, which you folks in Khartoum, have historically been longing for many decades. The regime’s control over South Sudan’s resources has formally as well as legally came to an end with conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which resulted to the birth of the Republic of South Sudan.
The governments of South Sudan together with its entire people from all walk of lives across the country are condemning the international calls which have nothing less other than brutal acts of ignorance and evil advocacy. The people of South Sudan are here to make it crystally clear to the international community that South Sudanese forces did not occupy or invade anybody’s land, but are in fact taking back the South Sudanese lands which had been illegally occupied by invaders from the north.
The recent occupation of (Panthou) Heglig oilfield by South Sudan Army (SPLA) should not be interpreted as an aggression against Sudan, as it is currently being interpreted by the so-called international community, but rather as an act of sovereign nation to control its borders from terrorist invaders like those Jihadists in Khartoum. The government of South Sudan deserves to pay no attention to these international voices that call for the withdrawal of South Sudanese forces from the alleged Sudanese territories, when in reality are historically South Sudanese’s territories.
The making of history has just started along the border! In the first and second South-North civil war for instance, South Sudanese youth had always tuned up in large numbers to put to an end marginalization, humiliation, aggression and other forms of disadvantages imposed on them by aliens invaders. It is not too late for South Sudanese youth to do the same national duty to teach the Khartoum regime and the world at large that South Sudan is a rare land that produces brave sons and daughters who cannot welcome aliens’ aggression.
The author of this work is a concerned South Sudanese citizen and can be corresponded at johnaliap2011@hotmail.com
Sudan is waging a wrong war against people of South Sudan
By Isaiah Abraham. JUBA
The Sudanese Parliament has declared general mobilization for war against the neighboring Republic of South Sudan. Yet they also target Northern rebels holding up along South-Northern border. Indirectly Khartoum is aiming at killing two sparrows using a single stone. It wanted to punish, fail and silence Juba and at the same time stop rebels fighting their government.
For now there seems to be no turning back from that thinking, the path chosen by the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) to resolve their internal political problems as well as export troubles to others. The two countries are technically at full and all out war.
But I see Khartoum fighting shadows instead of concentrating on how to settle political differences with its internal opposition groups. The Northern Opposition forces are everywhere even in the South Sudan State, and this has worried Khartoum much not its differences over oil, border and land with Juba.
Juba is mistakenly drawn into Khartoum needless war, and the cost for that move will be felt so soon.
Peace Process
This is a way to go! It might be long, but majority of the Sudanese in the North and the South don’t see war as a solution to problems facing the two countries. Peace must be given a chance by any cost. Leaders from both South Sudan and North Sudan, especially those in the NCP are advice to return to the negotiating table for dialogue.
Nothing is so powerful than language of talking (dialogue) and reasoning. It is about time for Khartoum to drop expansion crusade and work for what that works. No return to war please!
Let’s resume talking, and somewhere we must critically check out causes of the current conflict. People talk of oil, border incursion and invasion, but we must not ignore Khartoum security fears after the two areas of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan unrest. They know rebels fighting against them are out to topple their government and South Sudan being so fold to help others in need, especially friends could be a spring board for that project.
The security element therefore ought to be given the urgency it deserves. It keeps on coming up during the past negotiations and mediators must find ways of accommodating security concerns by Khartoum.
In another word, once the military dust settles in few days or months to come, there is an urged need to look into this element of rebels fighting Khartoum within space of political rounds of talks currently in Addis Ababa. Perhaps that is where we must begin
There are accounts of accusations and counter accusations that South Sudan is supporting rebels and the opposite true about Sudan. To be exact, Sudan started it, and South Sudan followed suit (support Northern rebels), morally however.
There are no secrets about what is happening between the two countries and if healing and reconciliation are anything important to the two regions, there has to be openness and honesty. The two must cease from cheating one another for the sake of peace.
I still see window of opportunity for the two sides to stop the fighting and dialogue. The world must help the two nations in the form of peace keeping mission and buffer zones. Negotiation must start from cease fire arrangement immediately, followed by border demarcation exercise. Border current issue is really an issue. Countries must know their international borders otherwise it is possible for temptation to annex lucrative soils of others.
Though the atmosphere is just not conducing for talking at the moment, and the war is in the air, let us do what good men (NCP and the SPLM) did in Naivasha Kenya. To straighten out differences through violence is the last thing when other avenues are not workable. We must learn to seek peace through other means and not through war. Khartoum is wrong here 100%. They still live in the past.
If they continue in that orientation (belligerency), they will be shocked. They will never conquer South Sudan, mark my words! The SPLA has ability to discipline an intruder. They are wasting their time fighting the people of South Sudan for their own down fall. South Sudan has not bowed to anyone. We will withstand any threat!
Wait a minute, I read a lie that Panthou (now renamed Heglig) as part of Southern Kordofan, that is in correct. South Sudan territories of the 1956 are well documented; Panthou is well deep within Southern territory, let no one again mistaken it using the current corrupted so-called map of the two countries. We still have other areas we will bring back even beyond Panthou. When did Panthou become Northern territory? The people are joking! Panthou is many miles behind in the state of Western Upper Nile
SPLA must not leave Panthou whether Khartoum rains fire on our men or through any pressure from New York (UN) or Addis Ababa in Ethiopia (AU). AU in specific should look away. Khartoum has is invading and they will find men here. If to patch up their economy through Southern land is an issue, then they are wrong. Khartoum must forget it quickly and look for other sources of financing their crumbling economy.
Way forward
The thing we hear over again that South Sudan did this or that is just a divisionary. The fact is that there is a civil war in the Sudan, and South Sudan is paying the price for an imported war. Sudan at the moment doesn’t differentiate between South Sudan and her rebels fighting in that territory and this is a mistake.
Now that the Sudan has waged a wrong war against a wrong enemy, leaving Northern rebels behind, the people of South Sudan should stand up shoulder to shoulder, tie their belts and resist Sudan aggression against their territory and people, whether that is through talking or defending. Enough must be enough! If the price of peace is war, our people shouldn’t just sit by and allow their leaders to sing ‘peace’, ‘peace’ when actually there is no vocabulary called peace to the Sudanese.
Khartoum ought to stop aerial bombardment in the territory of South Sudan. They got to go away from areas along the borders, until demarcation exercise actually takes place. They must cease from supporting Southern dissidents and close down their activities, the same way they did to rebels then fighting Ndjamena Government.
If Khartoum fails to do the right thing to stop harassing us, we will stand up and say a resounding no.
There is no need for sovereignty if another country enters your own, curbs away territories, pillages it and destroys everything at will. Our people will not watch the North doing just that, at this point in time.
We have ‘rested’ and since the North has pushed us thus far, we must give it another lap. Our people fought for ages and this war is nothing. Let us prepare for the worse as this war has been enforced on us.
This message is to you my people (South Sudanese): Nehemiah 4:14
Isaiah Abraham lives in Juba; Isaiah_abraham@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.southsudannation.com/sudnwagewrongwaragsou%20isaiahabram78.htm
Sudan & South Sudan on the Brink of Catastrophic War
The Price of International Expediency and Disingenuous Moral Equivalence
By Eric Reeves
April 12, 2012 — The price of a year’s worth of international diplomatic failure and facile moral and diplomatic equivocation will soon be paid in blood and suffering by many hundreds of thousands of civilians in Sudan and South Sudan. Hundreds of thousands have already been brought to the brink of starvation because there is no will to confront the Khartoum regime over its intransigent refusal to allow humanitarian access to Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Additionally, more than 100,000 Dinka Ngok civilians—forced militarily from Abyei by Khartoum’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in May 2011—remain displaced and in poor conditions as refugees in South Sudan. Refugees from Blue Nile have found only tenuous relief in the camps of Upper Nile (South Sudan), and the impending rainy season threatens to increase a population of almost 100,000, even as the transport of relief supplies and equipment, especially that needed for provision of clean water, will rapidly become impossible…….
http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-South-Sudan-on-the-Brink-of,42228
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