Sudan is a country that has endured extreme conflicts, crisis and civil war. The major cause of much of the civil unrest and violence is in country fighting between the central government and various rogue and insurgency groups wishing to exert their power, control and destruction on the innocent local populations, especially in the region of Darfur. No one has been able to protect the people, not the Sudanese government, not the African Union peacekeepers, nor the international community. Time after time, agreements cease fires, and deals have been reached only to be then broken.
The Sudanese government has been corrupted and no longer can be trusted to do what is right by the Sudanese people. The country has a long history of conflicts. In the past farmers have fought over land, water to irrigate and crops have suffered, producing less food for an ever-increasing population. The government has become increasingly militarized and polarized. It has been hijacked and abandoned the people despite a democratically elected Prime minister being elected. Tensions have long been endured between the African and non-Arabic speaking populations and the
Arabized populations. Even among the Arabized peoples there is great division and power struggles. The Sudanese government has usually chosen to back up the Arabic forces. Civil war has torn the country apart for many decades. Fighting has been between two main groups, the SLM/A which is the Sudanese Liberation Movement Army and the JEM the Justice and Equality Movement against the Sudanese Government. Sudan is considered a vulnerable state because the human rights abuses have reached such a level as being labeled genocide in Darfur.
The rebel forces and insurgents have burned, terrorizing and wiped out entire villages. Refugees have fled to neighboring Chad. And violence has also spilled over and spread to Chad and the Central African Republic. Sudanese rebels have now revolted against the government in Chad. The entire region teeters on the brink of destruction. The Sudanese government has repeatedly shown that they are unable to agree to and stick to a peace agreement. They have not been able keep their people protected and secure. Intervention from other countries despite Sudan being a sovereign state has been necessary.
Qatar has stepped up as an agent of peace and thoroughly tried to broker a deal between the Sudanese government and rebel forces in Darfur. The deal for peace calls for an end to all fighting, sharing of all resources and land; this appears to be the only way to stop the opposition parties in Sudan. This will allow the safe implementation of humanitarian aid programs to relieve the war torn nation from hunger and poverty. Qatar has led the way to peace talks and agreements on several conflicts, including Lebanon and Yemen and Palestine and Israel.
(Hrvatsko Izdanje 2010) The horrendous fighting, power plays and corruption has limited any economic, political and social progress in Sudan. The government has refused most humanitarian groups entry into the country to help. Much work needs to be done to help change the country’s direction. A cease fire and peace agreement needs to be ironed out and maintained. A peacekeeping force needs to be allowed to monitor the situation and ensure the protection of the people. Humanitarian groups need to be allowed into the country and given access to all regions.
Land needs to be shared, irrigation programs need to be planned and carried out. Food programs need to distribute food to any needy individuals. The internally displaced civilians need help in returning to their villages and starting over. Also, education needs to be emphasized and considered a priority in order to restore hope for a better future for the young people of that war ravaged nation. The exact state of Sudan’s economy is unknown. After so much war and corruption inflicted by the government the collection of data and statistics has been greatly hampered.
The government’s actual revenue over the years has been questionable. Prices have been unpredictable. Many countries over the years have invested great amounts of money in the hopes that Sudan would be able to get back on its feet. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, both desert and arid lands pumped money into the Muslim nation hoping it would become a prosperous “bread basket” for the Arab world. Also the European Union and the United States have both given large sums of foreign aid. Currently Russia and China have shown interest in Sudan and offered help as well.
Many large water projects have been planned to restore the country’s agricultural lands. Sudan is an oil rich country. Oil was discovered in the 1970’s by the Chevron Overseas Petroleum Corporation. Up until now, the government has not had enough resources to capitalize on their find. The government needs to partner with other trustworthy nations, like Qatar, the United States or the EU to develop plans to maximize their natural resources and oil capabilities. (Library of Congress 2010) Despite Sudan’s desperate situation in the past decades, there is hope for a better future.
The World has taken notice of the genocide and plight of the Sudanese people and has been strongly determined to put an end to the destruction. With the intervention of concerned countries a peace plan can be created and implemented. Their own natural resources, like oil and the production of crops can be successfully used to broker deals, mend and secure Sudan’s future. The people can overcome the horrors of war and find their way back to live in peace- hope springs eternal.
References: ASC Library Darfur: Continuing Conflict in Sudan web dossier Retrieved on May 23, 2010 from http://countrystudies.us/sudan/53.htm