{"id":38338,"date":"2024-12-12T02:35:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T23:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=38338"},"modified":"2024-12-12T02:35:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T23:35:55","slug":"before-the-sudanese-sudanese-dialogue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/12\/before-the-sudanese-sudanese-dialogue\/","title":{"rendered":"Before the Sudanese-Sudanese Dialogue"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Ali Askouri<\/strong><\/div>\n
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A concept dubbed the “Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue” is gaining traction among Sudanese political forces as a solution to the country’s ongoing crisis. In a state of near delirium, these forces proclaim their discovery as if shouting “Eureka!”\u2014much like Archimedes did over a thousand years ago. But have they truly found the answer, or is this just an escape from the grim reality they collectively created, now suggesting dialogue as if they haven’t been dialoguing all along?<\/div>\n
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Historically, Sudanese political forces have engaged in dialogue more than perhaps any other people, but the real issue lies not in what they discuss, but in their failure to honor the commitments and agreements they make. This pattern dates back centuries. Over 500 years ago, the Funj and Abdallab engaged in political dialogue that resulted in a power-sharing agreement. However, political ambitions soon led to its breach, sparking conflicts between the parties.<\/div>\n
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Fast-forward to the post-independence era, through the Round Table Conference and the Committee of Twelve, and the pattern persists\u2014failed dialogues, particularly with the Umma Party and its allies in the Charter Front. Then came Nimeiri’s coup, followed by his agreement with the Anya-Nya movement, which he later renounced, famously declaring, “This agreement is not the Quran.”<\/div>\n
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After Nimeiri’s fall, a civilian government took power. When university professors initiated talks with the Sudan People\u2019s Liberation Movement (SPLM) at the “Umbo Conference,” Interior Minister Mubarak Al-Fadil arrested them, in a shocking abuse of power. The regime of Al-Ingaz (the Salvation Government) followed, hosting numerous conferences, including a so-called “peace conference.” It also engaged in nearly two decades of negotiations with the SPLM. During this time, the National Democratic Alliance, representing all opposition parties, issued the “Asmara Declaration on Crucial Issues,” hailed as a breakthrough for resolving Sudan\u2019s governance problems.<\/div>\n
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These efforts culminated in the separation of South Sudan, and the Asmara Declaration was abandoned as if it had never existed.<\/div>\n
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For nearly seven decades, Sudanese actors have engaged in endless dialogues both within and outside the country. Sudanese representatives and their “friends” have met in countless capitals across neighboring and Western countries. Attempting to tally the seminars, workshops, and discussions on Sudan\u2019s issues is nearly impossible. If all the papers produced in these meetings were gathered, they could build a hundred-story tower; the ink spilled could rival the Nile. And yet, all of it has been for naught. Still, the calls for more dialogue persist.<\/div>\n
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Given this history, do we really need another round of dialogue? Have we not examined every issue thoroughly? What new ideas or magical solutions could emerge? Or is this merely another iteration of the political forces\u2019 endless “game of distraction,” as they chant “dialogue, dialogue,” until the concept is discarded like the Asmara Declaration, only to start the cycle anew?<\/div>\n
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The harsh truth is that Sudanese political forces are fundamentally treacherous\u2014they betray the agreements they make with each other without hesitation. Southern Sudanese politician Abel Alier famously described this betrayal in his book, and no one from these political forces even bothered to refute the grave accusation. Instead, they treated it with their usual indifference, as though such allegations were inconsequential. But betrayal of covenants is no trivial matter\u2014it is one of the gravest charges that can be leveled against any group.<\/div>\n
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The behavior of these political forces demonstrates their belief in the saying: “A thousand jumps are better than one serious commitment,” as some market traders put it. They apply this reckless mindset to the gravest issues, which is why our country has been reduced to endless wars, leaving everything in ruins.<\/div>\n
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Setting aside the current war, there is no new issue left to discuss. Dozens, if not hundreds, of papers have been presented on every conceivable topic, leaving no stone unturned. Before convening yet another time-wasting conference, political forces must first address why they fail to honor their agreements and why they betray their covenants.<\/div>\n
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God says:<\/div>\n
“And fulfill every commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned.” (Al-Israa)<\/div>\n
“And fulfill the covenant of Allah when you have taken it, and do not break oaths after their confirmation while you have made Allah over you a witness. Indeed, Allah knows what you do.” (An-Nahl)<\/div>\n
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A political agreement is, at its core, a covenant among political forces and the people they represent. Betraying it is a betrayal of the nation, undermining its stability and well-being. It is tragic that non-Muslim societies often adhere to their agreements better than we do, despite our claim to uphold Islamic values, which we repeatedly violate.<\/div>\n
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If political forces can find a way to end their pattern of betrayal, Sudan\u2019s problems will resolve themselves. Nothing has destroyed this country more than the breach of covenants.<\/div>\n
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The issue, dear people, is not in the dialogue itself but in adhering to the outcomes of dialogue.<\/div>\n
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God says:<\/div>\n
“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Ar-Ra’d)<\/div>\n
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This Land is Ours<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Ali Askouri A concept dubbed the “Sudanese-Sudanese dialogue” is gaining traction among Sudanese political forces as a solution to the country’s ongoing crisis. In a state of near delirium, these forces proclaim their discovery as if shouting “Eureka!”\u2014much like Archimedes did over a thousand years ago. But have they truly found the answer, or …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20790,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38338"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38338\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38339,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38338\/revisions\/38339"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}