The war in Sudan is perpetuated by those wanting control over the rich mineral and agricultural resources of the south: Petrol, gold, coffee, cotton and tobacco. Turabi’s political views and ambitions gave an excuse to countries, which coveted the untapped resources, to enter Sudan because people were allegedly being forcibly converted to Islam. Thus, the sensitive situation in the south escalated into war.
In recent weeks, the civil war has taken a new turn with heavy losses to government forces. The situation needs the urgent attention of the Arab League. Regional leaders such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Libya should help Sudan out of its present crisis. Help should not translate into more military aircraft and weapons as Iraq provided some time ago. Nor does it mean setting up a propaganda center in order to fire the passions of the Sudanese people against the separatists, as Iran did. In fact the kind of help offered by Iraq and Iran only deepened the country’s crisis. While the bloated supply of arms and ammunition led the government to believe that it could kill or flush the separatists from their hiding places, the excessive use of power prompted neighboring countries with help from other strong nations to help the separatists. Sudan’s position was consequently further weakened. Not only hundreds of thousands were killed but millions more were forced to flee to the north. The outside world is ignorant of the scale of the tragedy unfolding there.
The arms received by the Sudanese government made Turabi believe that his ambitions would soon be realized. The government was deceived by its own illusions of victory. The government soon recognized that it was on the brink of its most painful defeat since independence in 1956. Turabi’s presenting the civil war as a holy war only compounded the matter. When he called upon ordinary Muslims to send their children to die as martyrs, he kept his own sons safely out of the fighting.
Other Arab countries should intervene to bring the war to an end. Apart from guaranteeing safety of the people and stability of the country, the move should also stop some neighboring countries’ attempts to gain access to the country’s priceless mineral wealth. The issue should be resolved peacefully. The territorial integrity of Africa’s largest country should be maintained while the southerners are given the rights which they want and deserve. The separatist groups have totally demolished such infrastructure as railways, dams and power stations; their aim was to cripple the country’s economy. Their efforts have succeeded.
Turabi’s political theories also estranged neighboring countries. His efforts to dominate were not helpful in strengthening neighborly relations. He supported terrorists in Upper Egypt who in their turn attempted to spread chaos in the whole region by helping to assassinate leading politicians. At this most difficult time, the Sudanese leadership needs help and support. The help should end the war and enable the government to develop its mineral and natural resources in order to raise the per capita income — from $300 which is the lowest in the Arab world — to a higher and more satisfactory level.
