Darfur not the issue

Andrew S. Natsios, former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, spoke of the looming civil war in Sudan along with the impending failure of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the nation’s second civil war. After the loss of the two major players involved with this peace agreement, Natsios stressed the serious weakening of all that the agreement signified.

Natsios said that the American population must focus on Sudan as a whole rather then simply focusing on the province of Darfur. He said that the problems in Darfur cannot be solved until the nation is politically and militarily united as a whole.

Natsios further talked of the divided nation not in terms of north versus south, but rather of the Nile River Arabs versus the rest of the country. According to the “Black Book”, which contains a study of the elites who have run the country of Sudan, 70 percent of those in power have been Nile River Arabs even though they make up only 4.5 percent of the overall population of Sudan. Natsios explained that the Nile River Arabs are afraid of losing the massive of amount of control they posses, fearing that their four tribes will be massacred along with the collapse of the Sunni state.

Natsios said the United States is not going to be able to fix Sudan, saying it does not have the influence, leverage, or power that is needed. Natsios also said that the situation in Sudan is much more complex than those of Iraq and Afghanistan. According to Natsios, in order to reach peace in Sudan, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement must be put back on track, the nation must reach a political agreement on the distribution of their oil, and the country must find a way to equally split and share power across the different tribes.

Comments

[David Sullivan]

The ENOUGH project has urged activists and advocates to press for an all-Sudan solution that links a resolution to Darfur with the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Read our report here: http://www.enoughproject.org/reports/allsudan_20071114.php

[Daniel Van Oudenaren]

All around, this is poor reporting. First, the blatantly obvious: this is an article about what Andrew Natsios said, but it does not report when or where he said it.

Secondly, the title is either straight-up wrong or enigmatic. Darfur is not "the" issue to whom? Is this something that Natsios said? If so, then he should have been quoted as saying it in the body of the article. Is this the editor's way of summing up Natsios' comments? If so, it's an exceedingly amateur way of saying that Natsios adressed other issues.

Thirdly, in returning to a discussion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and South Sudan, the reporter should have noted the connection between the uprising in Darfur and the CPA, rather than dismissing Darfur as being not "the" issue. The Darfur uprising and subsequent genocidal retribution began largely because Darfur was excluded from the peace and power-sharing process hammered out in the CPA, so clearly it is a part of "the" issue.

Fourthly, Natsios' recommendation to "focus on Sudan as a whole" rather than just Darfur is actually something that the "Save Darfur" element has been advocating for a long time. As David Sullivan noted above, the ENOUGH project has a report urging an all-Sudan solution, and the massive STAND network made "Apply an All-Sudan Solution" a key part of its spring 2008 campaign "asks" to President Bush. The campaign acronym SEAL asks Bush to "Stick to your promises," "Enforce UNAMID," "Apply an All Sudan Solution," and "Lobby China." It seems ridiculous that Natsios should urge the "American population" to focus on all of Sudan, when they've already been doing so, whereas the administration he served has done little if anything to ensure compliance to the CPA treaty that they brokered.

This is a prime example of why media outlets, lacking analytic skills, have been unable to see why and where the Bush administration, lead by men like Natsios, has failed again and again, issue after issue, to stem large-scale violence against civilians in Sudan.

Thanks to Talk Radio News Service for at least putting a spotlight on Sudan, but it really ought to do its homework, check the facts and context of what speakers say, and serve talk radio better by reporting on multiple voices and opinions.

Daniel
STAND Stronger

[Jacob Gatkuoth]

Open your eye any one who is thinking and listening to sudan problem look if you want to know the realy sudanese problem you need to think carefully before you jump into conculousion.Iam a sudanese america who just came back from sudan few this month i have an idea how US government would be able to bring peace to sudanese people in general not only darfur.Look by the time i was in sudan i did try my best to meet one of sudanes politician DR Hassen Trabai and i did.