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Sudanâs Military to Blame for Disintegration

   John Tanza Mabusu 16 November 2010

   The  leader  of  Sudanâs Popular Congress Party, Dr. Hassan Al Turabi,
   has  cast doubt on the viability of a unified Sudan,  saying ââ Sudan
   is  a composition of people [with] no common history as a people or as
   a nation or [as] a countryâ¦â
   Al  Turabi  told VOA the countryâs diversity of religion, cultures and
   languages  Â has  made  it  impossible  to  unify  Sudan.  The result,
   according  to Turabi, will be the likely disintegration of Sudan after
   the  January  9, 2011 referendum if, as expected, southern Sudan votes
   for independence.

   ââThis  is  not a country which has known dictatorship in history, but
   it  is  a  little  bit  libertarian because it is in a continent where
   people are mostly rural and free, â Turabi says.

   Turabi  has been a central player in Sudanese politics for decades and
   is  instrumental  in  bringing  Islamic  Sharia law to the country. He
   helped  bring  President Hassan Al Bashir to power in 1989, and served
   in  various government positions, including as Speaker of the National
   Assembly  in  the  1990âs. In the late 1990âs he began criticizing the
   government and has been jailed on several occasions.

   Turabi also said that Sudanâs failure to democratize is another reason
   for  the  countryâs unraveling. He blames three military coup dâétats
   for  overthrowing democratically elected governments since the country
   gained   independence   on  January  1,  1955.  This  has  lead  to  a
   concentration  of  power  and  wealth  in  the  hands  of  the central
   government which, he says, encouraged rebellions throughout Sudan, and
   particularly in the south.
   The  north  and south have been engaged in successive civil wars since
   Sudan   gained  its  independence  and  Turabi  accuses  the  military
   governments  of  failing  to  honor  peace  agreements,  thus giving a
   justification to southern nationalists and the desire of people in the
   south to separate from north.

   Another  factor,  he  said,  working against achieving a truly unified
   Sudan  is  decentralized  regional  governments.  The governments have
   sought  a  measure of self-rule from Khartoum in an attempt to address
   disparities in wealth and development between the different regions of
   Sudan.   He   says   Sudanâs   diversity  requires  a  more  equitable
   distribution of wealth and resources.

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