Darfur, Sudan and Moslems
By Sammy Ibrahim Makilla, Contributing Writer

Tanzania, Africa - Moslems worldwide must condemn what is happening in Darfur.

The leader of Sudan has decided to take Africa back to the 19th century when Arabs used to plunder, pillage, rape and capture healthy Africans for sale outside the continent.

The savagery and level of blood thirst shown by the Janjaweed can be compared to that shown by the slave-drivers in the dying days of the slave trade.

Could one say that if those killed where non-Moslems, the world would have been more action-oriented and eager to bring the suffering of Darfur to an end as soon as possible? For those killed in Darfur are Moslems and are being killed by fellow Moslems. The difference is in the color of their skin. The persecutor is brown-skinned and the persecuted black.

For Moslems especially in the Middle East not to be seen as hypocrites, they must pull out their heads from the sand and call what is going on in Darfur-by its true name; that is Sudanese Arabs committing a grave sin among Islam; that is a Moslem killing a fellow Moslem.

Just like we condemn the highhandedness of the Israeli government over the persecution of Palestinians, we should, in the same way, condemn the state terrorism carried by Al Bashir on the blacks in Darfur.

If Moslems do not take Bashir to task, the world will continue to pay lip service to the crisis in Darfur, and their finger will most probably  be pointed at Somalia and not Darfur.

Is it Darfur or Somalia as propagated by Western media – with its clear standpoint –  that is getting its bread buttered? The answer is, of course, the U.N. slept while terror was unleashed against the Somalis by the members of the so-called Transitional Government, and Somalis no longer need the United Nation’s help except in telling Ethiopia to stop harboring ill intentions against its neighbors.

It is a long shot to expect anything virile and manlike from A.U. since Africa is still continuing with the tradition of covering up for their peers who abuse the office and trust of their people. But everything is now obvious. Who does not know that what makes African leaders act irrationally are the empty premises of the West when they want something accomplished on their behalf. And we all know that the ice cream cones, chocolate and sweets promised to the childish leaders never come.

It is said the Chinese are on the side of Sudan. If this is so, then this is the first big gaffe by the Chinese in Africa. If China like France starts working against underdogs in Africa, its emerging foundation in building a strong and mutual beneficial economic relationship with Africa may get cracks which can create big problems in the future.

Africa should distrust countries like Britain, France and the U.S. because these people are in business of ensuring that their national income (mostly derived by grossly exploiting Africa's natural resources) is maintained forever. And now that China, Brazil, India and Russia want to partake in that income, they are really desperate to survive. The United States, for instance, has a population majority that survives only on credit.

Yes, Al Bashir is a petty Hitler in the making. Sudanese government is a terror state against its own people. But at the same time, Al Bashir knows what it means if Africa is invaded by the Yankees in the name of  this or that. Here, the latter’s only mistake is that he has not been able to be articulate enough to say he is really saying no to the Americans coming to destroy Africa like they did with South America, Vietnam and Iraq... Now that we know where his fears are, let us remove the U.S. from the equation and turn to the Far East, Middle East and South America to find countries that Africa can work with and persuade Bashir to stop killing his own people because of the fear he has for all that is American. And no one can blame him for seeing the ghost of Allende and martyrs of Latin America and Vietnam.

The greatest worry for Africa is allowing US into its internal economic, political and strategic dynamics. US has been responsible for the sufferings of Latin America, Vietnam and South East Asia as it is now with Arabs and the Middle East. It will be for its own good for Africa to keep America at arm's length.

It is time for Africa to look internally and to look for alternative alliances in solving its problems. Let us try using China this time to stop the killing and raping in Darfur. A stable federal Sudan will surely be good business for China and Africa.

Recent events have made us totally abhor the habit of turning to Americans to solve international problems, whereas that country no longer produces statesmen of international caliber. From a very open society, current American leaders have turned that nation into a closed system unknown to themselves.

Africa, leading the international community, should expedite all means and ways to end the killing, raping and plundering going on in Darfur.

The Sudanese government should forthwith stop the Janjaweed marauders and disband their rag tag armies.

In case Sudan, with the help of the Chinese, refuses these just demands, then the first real test of Africa calling for it to rise to the occasion of defending people oppressed and killed by its own government must come to pass.

In other words, if Bashir continues to be difficult, then we must help those who oppose him in order to ensure that no more Sudanese live under fear and terror of their own government.

This is a sacrifice worth  making instead of talking about getting soldiers to Somalia where greed and criminal Somalis want to return to power despite the untold suffering they have exercised on their people for about two decades.

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