A political viewpoint.
By Luk Kuth Dak – USA
June 19, 2011 (SSNA) — Today, the world community is a better place than it was yesterday, with the apprehension of Gen. Ratko Mladic, the brutal Bosnian Serb general suspected of leading the bloody massacre of 8, 000 Muslim men and boys, almost fifteen years ago.
Subsequently, in the case of the Sudan, the news of Mladic’s arrest was coldly received by the Khartoum regime, which continues to defy the International Criminal Court (ICC) in handing over of war criminals it harbors – including the head of state, Mr. Omer Hassan Ahmed al Basher, Ali Kusheeb, and Ahmed Haroon, all of whom are indicted by ICC for committing genocide and other crimes against humanity in the Western Sudan region of Darfur.
But of all people, you –the readers, precisely know the reasons as to why I’m basking with the news of Mladic’s apprehension. First and foremost, it reminds us all that no matter how long al Basher and the slew of murderers try to spin their way out of being arrested, justice will ultimately prevail. More so, the arrest of the Serbian general, after a decade and a half on the run, will most certainly boost the United Nations’ (UN) morale and confidence in giving it the much- needed jolt that will ultimately stifle criticism of it being just a symbolic figure, which in reality is unable to bring its most wanted fugitives to justice.
As I recall, I can count with both hands the number of articles that I have written about Omer al Basher. I admit it. More than anything else, I truly and really loathe this tyrant –both politically and personally. I just can’t see how I would feel any other way towards a man who personally ordered the mass murders of two and a half million innocent children and women in South Sudan alone, that his Islamic extremist regime has been classified by the Human Rights Watchdog as the most bloodiest government in modern history.
There’s an old Nuer quote that says, “You can’t get away with someone’s blood.” Let me translate that for you. Al Basher’s recent bizarre behavior, berserk actions and tacky speeches, all are indicative of a man who’s haunted and tormented by the blood of those innocent citizens, who perished at his hands.
For now, however, al Basher and the band of the skunked flunkies can run as much they want, but they must keep in mind that sooner than later, there will come a time when one of the world most brutal dictators finds himself all alone in the darkest corner of an ICC jail. And that will be a very happy day for all of the Sudanese people, whom he had been terrorizing for more than two decades and counting. More importantly, it will a day of joy and conclusion for the families of his million victims in South Sudan, Darfur and the other marginalized areas, where his brutal regime continues to do what does best – killing of innocent people and turning their homes into morgues and ashes.
And furthermore, it’s self evident that, with al Basher behind bars, our relations with our Northern neighbors will be far better if not healthier. After all, most of us –Southerners, are not so naïve as to think that all Northerners act that way. But all the South ever wanted is for the North to respect our sovereignty and our birth- rights as citizens of this land.
“A nation divided against itself cannot stand,” President Abraham Lincoln.
As we reflect on the July 9th, it’s critically important for all of us to patch up our differences and put them aside in favor of the greater good. No matter how difficult those differences might be, we must- at the very least- try to show our enemies that we are a people of good will, and who can rise higher to the occasion when everything else seems impossible. And we must remember that when we are united, we truly are invincible.
It’s really that simple.
The author’s former anchorman at Juba Radio. He can be reached via e-mail at lukedak@hotmail.com.