We are 39,154,490!

It is now official: the census results shows that Sudan has a poplation of 39,154,490 people. It is here but for the analysis, come back later.

Sudan election pushed back to 2010!

 It kind of not surprising that he elections has been put back to 2010. The selected date of of somewhere in July has been overshadowed by events so huge that it is inevitable that soemthing gives way.

Reasons of census results and borders are all true but they masks the real issues. Even before the ICC debacle and others, the impelemntation of the CPA was on a snail pace. There are still more to be desired.

Let the count down begin . . .

Another peace process for Darfur?

Will there be peace in Darfur . . .? I began to see it as a long gone possibility. Let us resign to the fact that it is going to be a long, long process. . .

With the myriad of peace processes coming up everyday: African Union, Libyan, Saudi Arabian, Nigerian, Qatari, I wonder which one will bear fruit. Can't someone just merge all these together?

Egypt is again throwing its lot into the peace process business. That is making the whole thing interesting? Was it to counter the Qatari Peace process? Egypt skipped the Arab Summit in Qatar and now comes up with another peace process. I know not for what reason.

While they keep on meetimg in the Arab capitals, Darfur still cries . . .

(Yawn)

Queen Noor speaks . . .

Darfur an "obscenity", we are told . . .

 Queen Noor has added her voice to the cry coming out of Darfur. If not for the timing I would ask where has she been hiding all this time.

Maybe the ICC thing shook her from her slumber . . .(Sorry Queen!)

The culture of violence

I wonder what is going in South Sudan these. I week never goes without deadly clashes some where. If it is not the SPLA soldiers causing havoc, it is the pastoralist going about the business they know best: cattle rustling.

It is a shame that we are still being ravaged by the notion of these groups, whose still think that cattle rustling is aprt of culture that cannot be abandoned.

I will talk more . . .

Arab backing and the showdown: round 2

Bashir made it to the  Arab Summit, had a faceof with the UN General Secretary and got Arab backing against the ICC.

It is a big public relations coup for the government against the West. When a big chung of the world  countries expressed their dis-satisfaction with events, I think the world better listen.

Ocampo has used his ighest card, as some analysts think, and th eonly last resort to apprehend the president is by invading the country.

Looking at what happened to Iraq, I don't think Obama will want to go that road again. It is just getting nastier by the day.

ICC, Arab League and Bashir

So Bashir is in  Doha for the Arab Summit

It is expected that the Sudanese president will want to show the world that he cannot be intimidated by the ICC warrant, about which he once said "soak in water and drink it". Nothing new there.

I was watching the news and all are concerned whether the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will sit and listen to Bashir delivering his speech. My advise: Mr Moon, don't listen to the Americans, sit there and listen to what Bashir wants to say . . . Walking out is not a good sign ffrom the wolrd's top diplomat.

Let us wait and see.

BK featured in US Site

Black Kush featured among the top 100 sites in Africa on an  Online University Reviews website. Cool.

"In an attempt to provide students, laymen, and educators with a single resource from which they can begin their own exploration of the richness and diversity of Africa, we have compiled a list of what we consider to be the 50 best blogs to learn about African culture, news, politics, and viewpoints. Blogs are an excellent way to learn about nations and cultures due to the passion, diversity of perspective and honesty of the writing, which you won’t often find in textbooks. We have categorized these top 50 blogs as follows: Politics and Human Rights, News, Culture & Art, Technology and Entrepreneurship, and Viewpoints from many of the African Countries."

Thanks.

Abyei erupts again

These unfortunate incidents seems to recur again and again. Another deadly clash in Abyei leaves at least one person dead as fighting erupts between the SAF and the SPLA soldiers in the Joint police and military forces.

How can this be remidied? I believe these kinds of incidences are rooted in the animosity of the past 50 years of the Sudanese history. There is complete lack of trust in each other. A simple dispute can be blown out of proportion from both sides. This must end.

Once and agreemnt has been signed, it is a signal to all people that war is not and option in solving our problems anymore. It is time to try other avenues.

As the politicians and the UNAMIS say, "I urge the parties to exercise restrain . . ."

'Arab World's Dirty Secret' Exposed.

Egyptians are racist. That is a fact that Muna Eltahawy only discovered recently in a metro in Cairo.

There are lots of South Sudanese in Egypt who go through the same abuse and racists taunts everyday. I once blogged about Egyptians are trying to woe the Southern Sudanese here. And last month Hosni Mubarak was in Juba, a visit that evryone knows was about the Nile water. I wonder what he will tell the South Sudanese if he read the story.

At least Muna spoke about it.

"The racism I saw on the Cairo Metro has an echo in the Arab world at large, where the suffering in Darfur goes ignored because its victims are black and because those who are creating the misery in Darfur are not Americans or Israelis and we only pay attention when America and Israel behave badly.

We love to cry "Islamophobia" when we talk about the way Muslim minorities are treated in the West and yet we never stop to consider how we treat minorities and the most vulnerable among us."