By Ariik-Dut Atekdit
Many people these days have begun to be talking most about the forth-coming referendum of Southern Sudan. One can even see that the media is mostly engaged to report about the referendum struggles and some of the challenges that will face the world’s youngest nation (South Sudan) if the results be separation. The supporters of unity do not even like to hear people mentioning about the possible separation of South Sudan. They had forgotten that it is one of the choices during the coming referendum. More importantly, months are going very fast and the make Unity Attractive is just crawling; it never goes few steps ahead. So, the question is what will be the results of the coming referendum of south Sudan? Indeed there are only two inevitable choices, either Sudan becomes two countries or it attains a single nation system like the one of today. Whether the country remains one or divided into two, it is a personal decision for every southern Sudanese. The southerners alone will stand firm to answer the question during the referendum. This problem doesn’t concern any Sudanese living at the other parts of the country.
However, now you find some political parties have only decided to be campaigning for a fail unity. They just announce their position that they are for unity of the Sudan; and that is why the single language, single race and the single culture TV of Sudan propagates only about unity, of their (watan wahed) one nation motto. Moreover, they are not Southern parties or else they have never struggled for the rights of the southern people. In this way the poor citizens of southern Sudan are going to be cheated again just like in the past. Why do the parties which in the past were the south Sudanese killers now try hard to persuade southern Sudanese to vote for unity? Is it just because of our oil wealth? If it is because of that then the answer is NO for unity, YES for separation. Never love our oil money and hate us the owners of the land from which you extract out this wealth, it never happens at all.
In the Naivasha peace agreement, CPA it is mentioned that the Northerners should make unity attractive for the people of southern Sudan, but according to the current situation it is clear that the northerners have failed to make it possible. They have not come down to help us for the development of our poor South Sudan, which they participated in its destruction during the war of Al-mejadeen against (al kufaar) pagans in the south, and now they can not work for its development. That alone shows that Northerners are the great separatists more than southerners. Some people have talked many times that the south is not capable of managing its affairs. They use this topic to let the rest of the world support unity. Those were stories of long time ago and that shall never convince the generation of today to vote for unity. Which unity do we want again, ladies and gentlemen? The unity of Sudan which has denied us our freedom in our own country since independence! We have poured enough blood and we don’t want the coming generation to come across the history again. If you are cheated once shame on him (who cheats) if twice shame on you (who is cheated) and the saying goes. We have known more about unity; let’s try for separation this time. It has taken us so long to fight for our rights, and if we don’t take smart carefulness we shall lose the 21 years’ struggle in one minute of our voting for unity. Some people whether in the north or south, think that the separation of south Sudan is a problem. The separation of the south is not a problem and it is not against anyone as well, instead it is a solution to the problem. So why should we keep the enmity between the south and the north together. We better breakdown the unity and substitute it with the separation. If the North loves us as they claim why are they making the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) difficult? How far have they gone with the demarcation project? Why is it difficult to form the referendum commission? If you try to answer the above questions to yourself you will find that the north is calling for a fake unity and therefore nothing can stop you to vote for separation. We know that there people who want to sell our rights by uniting us with the foe Jallaba but their time is coming to an end.
The coming Sudan will be more than two countries in the coming days. The decision of ruling the country by a religious Law of Islamic Sharia’ will split the largest country in Africa to so many small pieces of nations. The ruling party in Sudan can’t forget that the region of Darfur is asking for secularism of which they shall not want sharia law to be imposed on them or they will ask for separation. It will be impossible for the Government in Khartoum to apply the Islamic sharia law in the nation after the separation of south Sudan because there will be Christians in the Nuba mountains and Southern Blue Nile and even inside Khartoum. If the country uses that law then these groups shall ask for their free nation out of Islamic Sudan. In this case the lovely map of the Sudan will fade out to some other small nations of their own. So the finishing of Sudan shall start on January 2011 when the South celebrates for its independence then the rest of the regions like Nuba Mountains, Darfur, Southern Blue and the other marginalized peoples in eastern Sudan and in the far north of Halfa shall wave for south Sudan and go to prepare for their tomorrow’s independences after congratulating their brothers and sister s in the south with their cheeks dropping tears of loneliness in the greater Sahara Desert of Sudan.
For sure the rest of the world can predict the challenges that shall face south Sudan later. But it doesn’t mean that the south can’t make its own country. Many countries were one time colonized and later got their independences, indeed they faced many difficulties in their times. The same formula will occur to us but it doesn’t matter we can still make a better nation in South Sudan of our own.
