Have you seen the irony: Sudan now directs the UNSC? By Zechariah Manyok Biar, JUBA, RSS
MAY 12/2012, SSN; It is not easy to pretend for long time to be a law-abiding person when you are used to law-breaking. Less than a month ago, the Sudanese Government complained to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), accusing South Sudan of being a law-breaker against a “law-abiding Sudan.” In its complaints, Sudan wanted the UNSC’s action against South Sudan for “breaking” international law. In their response to Sudan’s complaints, the UNSC members and other international community screamed on top of their voices, using every phrase they could get to condemn the “aggressive behavior” of South Sudan. They threatened us with sanctions if we could not withdraw from Heglig. We knelt down and begged the international community to hear our side of the story, telling them that we were more law-abiding than the Sudan. We were just acting in self-defense. But nobody listened. We gave in and said we should prove the international community wrong by putting the Sudan to test. We withdrew from both Heglig and Abyei in compliance with the international community’s call for withdrawal from those areas. Now it was the turn of the Sudan Government to prove itself as law-abiding before the international community. The UNSC passed a resolution under Chapter VII. As part of this resolution, both South Sudan and Sudan were ordered to withdraw from Abyei immediately. They were also threatened with sanctions if they never ceased fire within 48 hours and go back to the negotiating table within two weeks. South Sudanese Government responded with a big “yes sir”, but the Sudanese showed that they knew how to reason better than the international community. First, they argued that the African Union was wrong to involve the United Nations in the process of the AU’s roadmap endorsement. Second, they selected provisions that favored them in the UNSC resolution and called them positive, but provisions that never favored them were branded wrongly worded and considered for review by the Sudan Government. The issue of cease fire was seen as the obligation of South Sudan alone. Sudan considered itself permitted under self defense to keep bombing South Sudan. Not only that, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) remained in Abyei even when South Sudan had completely withdrawn its police forces from the area. When the bombing of South Sudan became boring to SAF, they spiced things up by attacking Kafindibei and Kafia Kingi on Monday this week and boasted about capturing them. They know that if SPLA retaliates, the international community will impose sanction on South Sudan for violating the cease fire that came into effect less than a week ago. That was not the whole thing, on Wednesday this week the Sudanese Parliament seemed to have remembered that they had forgotten to tell the UNSC what to include in the resolution and what not to include. They found that the UNSC had overstepped its mandate by asking Sudan to talk to rebels in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. As a result, it was rejected by the Parliament. Although Sudan is enjoying telling the UNSC what to do and what not to do, South Sudan does not seem to have any choice on who to stay in the disputed areas. The Sudanese seem to believe that it is the unquestionable right of the Sudanese to stay in the disputed areas until the solution is found. It does not matter who stayed in what disputed area before the UNSC resolution. The irony is this: the UNSC that Sudan considered as its boss less than a month ago when South Sudan captured Heglig (Panthou) has now become the child that Sudan must direct. Have you seen this? That is the Country South Sudan is dealing with. By complying with all the UNSC demands, we in South Sudan thought we were putting Sudan to real test to prove before the international community that it was more law-abiding than South Sudan is. But now it is becoming clear that Sudan is the one putting the UNSC and the rest of the international community to real test, and it is succeeding. I think the UNSC will have no choice but to join us in keeping silent when the big man of Sudan talks. We should listen to him. Otherwise, we are all in trouble. Zechariah Manyok Biar lives in Juba, Republic of South Sudan. He can be reached at [email protected] COMMENTS: Pres. Kiir unpopular in the West Mr. Biar, I like the way you write (Have you seen the irony...): precisely, with economic use of words. This has stimulated me to respond to your article on UNSC action. An Ethiopian saying goes thus: If you are hated by many in a community, even a cold potato can burn you. I think there is some fatigue among members of the international community towards the South and so we are no longer the darling of the West which some of us thought we were. >From where I sit, I have come with few reasons why this is so. I may be wrong. Let me begin with the most trivial one. 1. The Westerners, particularly the American, are not attracted to those who are not charming. That is why, a recent study has shown that an attractive fellow can get away with murder because, his/her charm brings out sense of forgiveness in those attracted to them. I met some Americans in the recent past. They told me that our President is...errr... not popular in the US. I asked: Why? They answered: Because of his cowboy hat and beard! Beard in the US is associated with Fidel Castro of Cuba who is a bogey man in the US. I guess our President have very few admirers among the intelligentsia in the West This means, very few people who matter care to run to our rescue, when in trouble, solely on personal chemistry of the Big man. I leave it to the presidential Aides whether there is a room for improvement here so that out president can charm his way into the heart of the West (This is not to say that Omer Beshir is more charming, far from it!!). 2. The West, again, do not want to be associated with a brazen practitioner of corruption (the keyword is brazen). The fact that our President casually instruct the Minister of Finance to write a cheque of USD 30m just like that without due process is deeply offensive to those in the West (Remember Amum and Chol court case?). In addition, there has been several other rumors of corrupt practices in the young nation. Thus, president Kiir is seen as a Chief Priest overseeing this bad practices. Hence, the feeling might be that the sooner he vacates the office the better. This can be brought about by the ongoing crises if need be. So, we are alone when it comes to show of love in the UNSC! 3. The SPLM/A are taxing the patient of the people in the West by continuing to behave as rebels and spoilt brats. During the war, many people in the West were ready to forgive the mistakes of the army. They (SPLM/A) did not have responsibility of a sovereign nation. But now, the South continues to insult senior members of international organizations who actually are walking with us through the difficulties we are experiencing now. This has further alienated our friends in the World, hence, we seem to have no Godfather at the UN. In contrast, Bashir depends on countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia on whom the West depends when it comes to the Israeli-Arab conflict. Remember, if you thought we are the darling of the West because of oil, sorry, we are not the only oil producing in central Africa any longer: Kenya, Uganda and may be DRC are now members. So let us stop behaving like Syria (Golan Heights owners) and Beshir at the UN. They are not as diplomatic orphans as we are! In conclusion, let us learn how the UN works slowly but surely, and at the same time, making friends and maybe get a Godfather as well. So those guys who have the ears of the Big Man (John Luk, Ambrose Ring Thiik, Tellar Deng and others) and who also know the West well, should whisper something during the famous Red Label tasting session to our prezzo. It might work!! Jas Buruk, RSS COMMENTS, PLEASE CLICK HERE Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author(s) and do not represent those of the website. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. 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