South Sudan is plunging into civil war.
Those of us who have been watching Africa would be once again overcome with profound sense of suffering in our conscience because we know what it means. The last round of violence in Sudan, not too long ago, left thousands of women ravished, children orphaned and adult males dead or maimed. Once again, innumerable children will be put to arms and these child soldiers will be used, abused and then killed. The countryside will again witness huge migration of the scared, scarred and hapless population and demographic crisis in the adjoining nations will arise. All this is because some power and blood thirsty feudal/tribal overlords want to contest for few square miles of land to claim their own!
Will the world watch till few more million litres of African blood soak the earth and thousands more African women suffer indignity? will we watch till hapless children wearing worn-out combat fatigues get blown to smithereens? I hope we do not. Unlike the last time when the political hurdles and lack of united will in Africa weakened the AU initiatives, I think this time rest of Africa and the UN would stand with the people of South Sudan. No country in the earth must give them arms supply or asylum or safe havens. Those millions that arms exporting countries make in such situations can always be made later in a more legitimate moment. This time around, let the rest of the world not think of profit at someone else's blood.
Egypt in the neighbourhood is already in turmoil. Libya to the northwest is in tatters. If Sudan is allowed to plunge into mayhem, that would add to nearly a fifth of Africa. The spill over of such conflict will also affect the smaller nations towards the south whose peace is yet to firm up.
I hope the UN and AU act in unison and swiftly. I do hope peace returns to South Sudan early whereupon a democratic process can be initiated, if necessary at the point of a gun sporting the UN flag, so that lasting solutions to the issues can be arrived through consensus.
Amen.
Those of us who have been watching Africa would be once again overcome with profound sense of suffering in our conscience because we know what it means. The last round of violence in Sudan, not too long ago, left thousands of women ravished, children orphaned and adult males dead or maimed. Once again, innumerable children will be put to arms and these child soldiers will be used, abused and then killed. The countryside will again witness huge migration of the scared, scarred and hapless population and demographic crisis in the adjoining nations will arise. All this is because some power and blood thirsty feudal/tribal overlords want to contest for few square miles of land to claim their own!
Will the world watch till few more million litres of African blood soak the earth and thousands more African women suffer indignity? will we watch till hapless children wearing worn-out combat fatigues get blown to smithereens? I hope we do not. Unlike the last time when the political hurdles and lack of united will in Africa weakened the AU initiatives, I think this time rest of Africa and the UN would stand with the people of South Sudan. No country in the earth must give them arms supply or asylum or safe havens. Those millions that arms exporting countries make in such situations can always be made later in a more legitimate moment. This time around, let the rest of the world not think of profit at someone else's blood.
Egypt in the neighbourhood is already in turmoil. Libya to the northwest is in tatters. If Sudan is allowed to plunge into mayhem, that would add to nearly a fifth of Africa. The spill over of such conflict will also affect the smaller nations towards the south whose peace is yet to firm up.
I hope the UN and AU act in unison and swiftly. I do hope peace returns to South Sudan early whereupon a democratic process can be initiated, if necessary at the point of a gun sporting the UN flag, so that lasting solutions to the issues can be arrived through consensus.
Amen.
