In the world of journalism, news is never supposed to be obvious. In journalism school one is often reminded that when a dog bites a man, you have no story. However when a man bites the dog then you have a lead story. The recent announcement that almost 99 percent of the votes cast in the South Sudan referendum were in favour of secession was to me nothing but a clear case of a déjà vu. In other words the dog had bitten a man. As the world focused on the standoff between the occupants of Cairo’s Tahrir Square and the country’s former leader, Hosni Mubarak, the results of the Southern Sudan referendum on whether the South should secede or continue to be united with the Arab North were officially announced. The outcome of this referendum was pretty much a foregone conclusion from the start. After all, the southerners spent more than 35 years fighting for this same outcome. The referendum was just a more peaceful way of achieving the same demands they had when they held AK47s. The referendum was indeed a success from the Southern Sudan point of view with the South Sudan Referendum Commission announcing that a total 98.83 per cent of the voters had voted to secede. All talk of a civil war breaking out and the Arab North rejecting the outcome was mere hogwash. Of course we have heard of clashes between the SPLA and fighters loyal to George Athor. Mr Athor is said to have taken up arms last year, alleging fraud in the state elections, but he signed a ceasefire a month before the historic referendum. This fighting that has already cost more than 100 lives is simply a sign of the challenges that the new country faces in ensuring a sense of unity and security. For his part, Gen Omar El Bashir was quoted last month saying, “I personally will be sad if Sudan splits. But at the same time I will be happy if we have peace in Sudan between the two sides.” It was a land mark speech that not only underlined his willingness to accept the results of the referendum, but more importantly the need for peace to prevail over war. The people of Sudan must surely be suffering from war fatigue and it was time to give the ballot a chance. The differences between the largely Arabic-speaking Muslim North and the Black Christian South have always been clear. And a referendum to endorse this difference was definitely not about to disappoint. It is a pity that freedom fighter, Dr. John Garang did not live to see this historic moment. He however remains a hero among the people of Southern Sudan. To many in Southern Sudan, Garang will remain the country’s Baaba wa Taifa as they say in Tanzania about Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. Now that the referendum is over and done with, we all wait for July 9 when the country will officially break off and start life as Africa’s youngest member state. The road ahead is rather a rough one and there is a lot of work that needs to be done if the country is to emerge from the fangs of poverty, disease, illiteracy and civil strife. The lucrative trade between EAC countries and Southern Sudan has led to talk of the country being admitted to the regional bloc. However, much as I am a keen supporter of the EAC, I am hesitant to join the bandwagon that is calling for Southern Sudan to join the EAC. The EAC is not simply a trade bloc like COMESA. It has a strong geographical dimension that cannot be overstretched. If we keep stretching the community by for instance admitting Southern Sudan, DRC, Ethiopia and probably Somalia, will it still be fit to call it the East African Community? I believe we can continue to trade with our Sudanese brothers without them necessarily joining the bloc. Russia trades a lot with the European Union but it is not about to join the EU. Talking about peace triumphing over war, after 18 days, President Hosni Mubarak finally gave in to the overwhelming people power and resigned, ending more than 60 years of service to the nation of Egypt. Just like it was in Tunisia, again the revolution was clearly televised thanks in large part to the robust coverage by the Qatar funded satellite Al Jazeera. If you think that was not historic enough then consider this. Mubarak resigned on 11 February, which is the anniversary of both Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and the Iranian revolution! ssenyonga@gmail.com
