Showing posts with label Democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Democracy. Show all posts

Friday, May 19, 2023

Impunity enabled generals to recklessly destroy Sudan (Hala al-Karib)

HOW YEARS OF IMPUNITY gave Sudan’s generals licence to destroy Sudan. This powerful op-ed was published in May at SudanTribune.com

Written by HALA AL-KARIB 

@Halayalkarib https://twitter.com/Halayalkarib

Regional Director, Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA)


Impunity enabled generals to recklessly destroy Sudan


I haven’t looked at my face in the mirror since the morning of 15 April when Sudan got turned upside down by two generals battling for power, the culmination of decades of state failure, impunity, and the negligence of the international community.


I don’t know what I look like now. I don’t want to see myself. I don’t want to cry.


That Saturday morning was the turning point. Before then, life was about that next medical appointment, school exam, or job interview: the upcoming wedding, or baby’s naming ceremony, or funeral to attend; the savings plan, the friend to visit, the house or small room to build; the tuk tuk, motorbike, or car to buy.


But all that has vanished.


We woke up that Saturday to a new reality of killings, of bodies strewn on the streets, of artillery bombardment and burning buildings. We are now in a desperate period of fear, trauma, and – for those who can – exodus.


Khartoum is the capital of 45 million Sudanese. It’s also the home of at least 10 million of us – including more than two million refugees who came here for sanctuary. For Khartoum to be destroyed like this, by thugs and monsters, is shocking, and perplexing.


That Saturday it took me the whole day, scanning the news channels and communicating with friends and colleagues before my brain was able to recognise what was actually happening.


We had fallen into the hands of those with no mercy, without humanity.


The city was being torn apart by rival militaries: Those loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the armed forces chief, versus his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).


It is behaviour that the people of Darfur have witnessed for years – where the RSF and other militias have protected their power by subjecting the people to intimidation and oppression, and where al-Burhan and the Sudanese army have also been accused of coordinating attacks against civilians.


The collapse


I came to Khartoum in early April to see my mother, and to check on an unwell brother and visually impaired aunt. I wanted to give my siblings – who had been looking after them – a break.


I planned to work out of the Khartoum office of my organisation, the Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA), an African feminist women’s rights network.


I had so much to do. I was planning a trip to Blue Nile and North Darfur to launch one of our new projects. We were pushing on with our work, almost oblivious to the abnormalities all around us.


As Sudanese, we were witnessing the collapse of the country, its decay, following the military’s seizure of power in October 2021 – bitterly protested by street-based pro-democracy groups.


There was the economic pain of an ever-accelerating cost of living, which means most people dependent on a daily income cannot afford the basics. Even the salaries of teachers, nurses, doctors, and government public servants have only been paid a few times since the coup – stranding them for months without an income.


The international community saw the way out of the crisis as a power-sharing deal between civilian politicians and the military.


The intention was to repeat the coalition formula agreed upon after the collapse of the Omar al-Bashir regime in 2019, an arrangement the military subsequently tore up two years later.


The UN, the African Union, and the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) were supposed to coordinate the political process leading to a new coalition government – but it was naïvely and ineptly managed.


Fundamentally, power-sharing doesn’t solve Sudan’s deep-rooted structural problems, when seats at the political table are reserved for the men in uniform responsible for the violence and injustice we’ve long been forced to live with.


Power-sharing covers up war crimes and crimes against humanity. It entrenches the military elite based on the assumption that – for the sake of peace – they can’t be touched. The result is the weakening of human rights and justice frameworks, and the legitimisation of the warlords, who are rewarded with access to resources and positions.


The 2020 Juba power-sharing agreement that followed the fall of al-Bashir was supposed to lead to free and fair elections. Instead, the generals have since been competing among themselves, mobilising their forces to achieve their corrupt ends.


That is the root of the violence we are confronted with today on the streets of Khartoum – and just as bloodily in Darfur and Kordofan – as the army and the RSF battle it out for supremacy.


Civilian politicians have also played a role. Sudanese people have been exhausted by the divisions and lack of leadership among the parties. As a result, politicians lost their connection to the people and failed to cultivate popular support.

 

Solidarity and courage


Even on the eve of the collapse, Sudanese were still trying to manage life as best as possible. I drove to a relative’s funeral around the Reyad area on Friday night and could still see people taking their kids out to purchase their Eid clothes for the end of Ramadan.


The main roads were dark, and street lights and traffic lights hardly working.


I remember thinking Khartoum reflected the impoverished soul of Sudan’s military clique. After seizing power, they had no idea how to run the country beyond plundering, and killing and violating its citizens.


That weekend, we had 14 guests staying with us: two project auditors from SIHA’s Uganda office, two Ugandan consultants, and 10 colleagues from Darfur taking part in a training programme.


On Saturday 16 April, three of our guests were at the airport, checked in and preparing to board their flight home, when the RSF began shelling. No one was allowed in or out of the airport for hours.


As we tried to figure out what to do, one by one their phone batteries died. They had to use the phones of other passengers, who pleaded for us to take them too if we came to collect our colleagues.


Then, in the afternoon, the RSF began ordering everyone to leave the airport, and hundreds of passengers were ushered out onto the main road.


I cannot be grateful enough to Adla from our Khartoum office, and her husband. They jumped into their old car and drove through the back streets to the airport. They picked up, thank God, our friends and managed to find lodgings for them.


When the hotel they stayed in ran out of food and water, Neimat – another SIHA colleague – and her husband managed to keep them fed. After four days, we were finally able to evacuate them home to Uganda via South Sudan.


Meanwhile, our friends from Darfur were struck at a hotel on Africa Road. It was among the first targeted by the RSF, who broke in and took the safe and then robbed the residents of their money and phones.


Coming from Darfur, our colleagues understand how the RSF operates – what triggers them, and how to negotiate. It took days, but they finally managed to leave the hotel on foot, although without their belongings.


When we spoke later, they told me how the RSF soldiers had made daily demands for money, terrifying the hotel guests by firing into the air.


It was the same story at the Acropole Hotel, where the last of our consultants from Uganda was staying. There was no power and water for the first three days, while the RSF ransacked every corner of the landmark hotel, again robbing guests and workers at will.


After days of being held, the hotel’s guests were dropped off at the grand mosque in the middle of Khartoum. Our colleague told a horrific story of picking his way through the dead bodies scattered on the streets.


Finally, he reached Omdurman, where he was picked up by Mayada, a SIHA staff member, and her husband. He stayed for two nights with Mayada before she managed to put him on a truck to South Sudan.


The courage, thoughtfulness, and endurance of our guests contributed to their safety in a situation where we couldn’t do much for them if it all had gone wrong.

 

Staying behind


SIHA has 32 staff in Sudan, the majority of us are scattered throughout rural Sudan, but many of us are also in Khartoum. Sudan is our home, and we are committed to staying, to care for our loved ones – we cannot abandon them.


So when the shelling and shooting started, I barricaded my family inside our house. The main gate was blocked with cars and piles of bricks. We closed up the windows and doors. Our bright open home became like a cave.


I was, however, obsessed with making sure that my girls – my daughter and two nieces – got out. Over the next few days, I sat with my sister and we thrashed out a plan. The girls are now safe outside the country.


As I write this article, three weeks after the violence began, I’m sitting beside my mother and aunt, somewhere safe and quiet near Khartoum.


My brother has just come in and said I look tired. Yes, I am. All I want to do is sleep and find space to think.


Looking at what has happened to my country, I can tell you that this violence is not random or a reaction to political tension. I believe this is a well-planned and well-funded vile act in support of the RSF.


The question is, how come all those high-powered bodies that were supposed to be coordinating the political process – the UN, the regional groupings, the international financial institutions, the donor governments – utterly failed to see it coming? What a shame!


In the meantime, I still don’t dare to look at myself in the mirror, and I don’t want to cry.


View original: https://sudantribune.com/article273883/

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SW Ed: The above op-ed by Hala al-Karib was published at The New Humanitarian 3 May 2023 entitled ‘How years of impunity gave Sudan’s generals licence to destroy my country’ - see copy here: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/first-person/2023/05/03/impunity-sudan-licence-to-destroy-my-country

Hala al-Karib

Regional Director, Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA)

Stringer/Reuters. People fleeing the fighting in Khartoum between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army on 28 April 2023.


Read more by Hala al-Karib

‘Sudan should not settle for anything other than true democracy’

https://sudantribune.com/article269336/


[Ends]

Friday, August 07, 2009

US Congressman Keith Ellison met with Taha, Nafi, Eddin, Ismail re CPA, Abyei, Darfur, shaky bilateral relations & lifting of US sanctions on Sudan

From Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan, Washington D.C., Friday 07 Aug. 2009 - US Congressman discusses Sudan peace implementation and Darfur process (ST):
The visiting US Congressman Keith Ellison today held talks with the Sudanese officials on the implementation of 2005 peace agreement and the ongoing efforts to settle Darfur crisis.

Ellison, who is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, met on Wednesday with the Vice President Ali Osman Taha, Presidential Assistant Nafi Ali Nafi and Presidential Adviser, Ghazi Salah Eddin who is in charge of US relations and Darfur file.

During a meeting with Vice President Taha, the Congressman discussed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the recent Abyei arbitration ruling. They also discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the visiting lawmaker was briefed by Mr. Nafi on efforts conducted by the government since Abuja peace agreement to end the armed conflict in Darfur. The meeting was also attended by the Presidential Adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail.

Before his departure, Ellison said he would discuss the humanitarian situation in Darfur. He had been arrested last April in a protest in front of the Sudanese Embassy in Washington against the expulsion of 13 aid groups from Sudan last March.

With, Mr. Ghazi Salah Eddin, the talks where focused on the shaky bilateral relations and the lift of US economic sanctions.
(Hat tip: ISRIA)

Sudan’s VP Ali Osman Taha meets with US Congressman Keith Ellison in Khartoum

Photo: Sudan’s VP Ali Osman Taha meets with US Congressman Keith Ellison in Khartoum, on August 5, 2009 (photo SUNA) Source: Sudan Tribune, 06 August 2009 - US Congressman discusses Sudan peace implementation and Darfur process
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From Sudan Tribune, Friday 07 August 2009 04:10:
Lawmaker reaffirms US commitment to end Darfur crisis
August 6, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — US Congressman Keith Ellison paid a one-day visit to North Darfur state on Thursday where he reiterated United States determination to support efforts to end the six year conflict in the war ravaged region.

Ellison met today with the state deputy governor, the head of Darfur peacekeeping mission, representatives of humanitarian agencies and visited Zam Zam Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, about 14 kilometers south of El-Fasher.

In El Fasher where are the headquarters of the UNAMID, the Joint Special Representative, Union Rodolphe Adada briefed the visiting US lawmaker on progress made with regard to the mission’s deployment, as well as the political, humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Darfur.

During the meeting with UNAMID officials, the U.S. congressman pointed out that the issue of Darfur was one with which the U.S. Congress was very concerned and in which it continued to be engaged, adding that his visit was an attempt to assess the situation on the ground in Darfur.

The visit of the Democrat Congressman is seen by Khartoum as an opportunity to convince more US legislators that Khartoum is exerting the needed efforts to settle the conflict and protect the IDPs as well as to encourage their voluntary return.

Sudan seeks to normalize ties with Washington and to end the economic sanctions imposed since 1993.

Adada in his remarks outlined the overall role of the UNAMIS in the ongoing peace process. "UNAMID has been growing to become the authoritative voice of peace in Darfur," he said, adding that the presence of the mission had been, "acting as a deterrent from violence."

There had been a noticeable decrease in the number of people killed over the past month, "but one life lost is too many," Adada further said.

The meeting also discussed the next year elections and its effects in Darfur, including challenges to the voter registration exercise scheduled for November.

Speaking in a meeting with deputy governor, Idriss Abdallah Hassan, Ellison praised the cooperation between Sudanese government and the joint mission adding it led to the stabilization of the IDPs communities

"I convey the commitment of the U.S. administration and its efforts to develop relations with Sudan, through mutual respect, as stated by President Obama.

Furthermore, he used the opportunity to visit Zam Zam internally-displaced-persons (IDP) camp about 14 kilometers south of El Fasher.

Ellison, who is also a member of the house committee for foreign relations, arrived in Khartoum on Tuesday evening for a visit in the African country to get updated with the situation in Darfur and the implementation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between northern and southern Sudan.

He will also inquire into the progress being made towards the CPA implementation durng talks he should hold with the southern Sudan semi-autonomous government in Juba.
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Democracy cartoon: Obama comes to Africa

Obama Comes To Africa

Source: Friday, July 10, 2009, Patrick Gathara, www.afrika.no
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US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s tour of seven African nations ends on 13 August 2009 after visits to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the DRC, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde

From Sudan Radio Service, Friday 07 August 2009:
Clinton Highlights Africa's Potential but Warns Against Corruption
(Nairobi) – During her visit to Kenya earlier this week, the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton described Africa as having the potential and the resources to compete in the world economy.

In a speech from the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Clinton urged African countries to create markets with each other rather than focus on trading with first world countries.

[Hillary Clinton]: “Africa is capable and is making economic progress. In fact, one doesn’t have to look far to see that Africa is ripe with opportunities. The single biggest opportunity that you have right now is to open up trade with each other. The market of the United States is 3 hundred million people; the market of Africa is 7 hundred million plus people. Nations of Africa trade the least with each other than any region of the world. That makes it very difficult to compete effectively.”

However, Hillary Clinton has attributed the lack of economic progress in Africa to the failure by various governments to attract investors through stability.

[Hillary Clinton]: “It's not just about good governance, this is about good business. Investors will be attracted to states that do this and they will not be attracted to states with failed or weak leadership, or crime and civil unrest, or corruption that taints every transaction and decision.”

Clinton called on African states to reform their countries by ending bad governance, corruption and impunity. She encouraged government to ensure that the private sector and civil society organizations abiding by the rule of law.

Clinton’s tour of seven African nations ends on August 13th after visits to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the DRC, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde.