BBC round-up of African media on Garang

Click here to read the BBC's interesting round-up of what TV and newspapers in Africa and Egypt are saying about the implications of John Garang's death.

Here below are the bits I like the best, except for South Africa's Star (I never really felt that Garang was against the south's right to break away from Sudan in six years time - I got the feeling, and I may be wrong of course, that he aimed to take control of the whole of Sudan through a violent revolution and settled for South Sudan as a start, to appease the West and attract funding and oil deals) - and, the commentary in Uganda's Daily Monitor went right over the top by saying of Garang, "It will be said of him that he did better than Biblical Moses."

[By the way, I find it incredible that Garang is being immortalised as a peacemaker. He was responsible for waging a 20-year long war that cost the lives of two million Sudanese people and unimagineable misery for millions of others. I believe the United States and the Bush administration deserve so much more credit than what Garang is being given. The north-south peace deal would never have happened without the years of hard work by the U.S. Government, not to mention the billions of dollars in aid, humanitarian relief, funding and support paid for from the sweat of the brow of decent, hardworking, law abiding American taxpayers.]

Sudanese TV - Sudan's handling of the death of one of this showcase's key architects will not only be a test for the country but a test for the spirit of optimism in Africa.

Kenya's Nation - We would like to urge the Sudanese people not to let grief over a peacemaker be used as an excuse to re-ignite war in Africa's biggest country ... We are, however, encouraged by the SPLM leadership that has moved swiftly to fill the leadership void created by the death of Col Garang ... We would like to caution the several parties in Sudan against capitalising on the grieving Sudanese to whip up emotions for their own ends.

South Africa's Star - A big threat to Garang's dream of a united Sudan is Kiir Mayardit's insistence on the south's right to secede after the six-year transition.

Egypt's Al-Ahram - There is no other alternative for the Sudanese people other than to join hands and go forward with the peace process to achieve peace and stability and development for Sudan. Sudan is facing great challenges facing... What Garang's wife said on the need to continue with the peace process is the best response to those seeking to incite the situation again. Sudan cannot stand fresh conflicts or tragedies.
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Snippets from bloggers

Snippet from "Death of Sudanese First Vice President Dr. John Garang" at Republican National Convention Blog NYC 2004 blog USA:

"[U.S.] President's Statement on Death of Sudanese First Vice President Dr. John Garang de Mabior:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sudanese First Vice President Dr. John Garang de Mabior. He was a visionary leader and peacemaker who helped bring about the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, which is a beacon of hope for all Sudanese. The United States is determined to maintain our commitment to the peace process in Sudan. We urge all Sudanese people to refrain from resorting to violence and to continue the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. John Garang's vision of peace must be embraced by all the people in Sudan so that they can live in a democratic, peaceful, and united country. On behalf of the people of the United States, Laura and I extend our deepest sympathies to Dr. Garang's wife, Rebecca, his family, and to all the people of Sudan."
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Snippet from "A Spate of Deaths" at Betamax Guillotine blog USA:

"Garang led the SPLA, at one time the preeminent resistance movement in the south, for 21 years avoiding assassination attempts and coup attempts and running the SPLA with an iron hand. Garang was the last of the American-educated and/or trained rebel leaders alive and out of power in Africa. The sole remaining former rebel leader, now President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, was the first leader in contemporary history to actually succeed. The other notable American-backed rebel leader in one of Africa's longest running civil wars, Angola's Jonas Savimbi, was finally cornered and killed by the Angolan army in 2002."
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Snippet from "Garang's death leads to rioting in Khartoum" at Towards a Free World blog:

"The Sudanese government released a statement yesterday, to try to reduce the tension, which announced that Garang was not dead, merely lost during a storm. When earlier today, this was found not to be true the tensions boiled over into anarchy. Southern Sudanese began gathering in groups and rioting throughout Khartoum. They attacked police stations and beat up Arabic Sudanese. Garang's party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, have been calling for calm and promising to find out what has happened and if there was any foul play. This has not so far stopped the rioters, who burned and smashed public and private property, leading to the imposition of a curfew by the Government."
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Snippet from "My two cents on Garang" at ConservaGlobe blog USA:

"I really don't blame them for thinking that al-Bashir had Garang executed, that would have been a distinct possibility if this had happened before the peace agreement. Whether Garang was murdered or not is immaterial, what matters is that he is now seen as a martyr for the cause of Southern Sudan. If anyone wanted to destabilize the fragile peace, they have almost certainly succeeded."

Tags: Sudan Darfur Garang BBC Bush John Garang