Sudanese strongman leader Omar Hassan al-Bashir kept his word to allow the historic vote for independence to go forward without government interference.
So oil-rich South Sudan voted almost unanimously to declare independence from the government-controlled north in preliminary election results announced today.
Now the hard work will begin. And the world will see whether al-Bashir is fair to the south in establishing a new border with the new nation in the south. al-Bashir should equitably split oil revenues with the south and work to cease the fighting in the blood-drenched Abyei region.
It's hard to believe that President al-Bashir, a former army officer who took power in 1989, could suddenly see the light and end the violent oppression he has led against the south during his time in office.
Al-Bashir has been accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of the country by the International Criminal Court. He became the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC though his indictment was opposed by both Russia and China.
But maybe, just maybe, a leopard can change his spots. Al-Bashir may have simply lost his appetite for blood.
In 2005, al-Bashir promised the independence vote to the south in exchange for ending the long-running civil war in Sudan that took an estimated 2 million lives.
While he still bears close watch and an skeptical eye, al-Bashir should be credited for allowing the vote to go forward without corrupting it and letting the world see how badly the south wants its independence.
07-Jan-11 - After years of being accused of not telling the entire truth in the Notorious B.I.G.'s murder, a task force of various local and federal law enforcement officials have now told CNN that they are actively pursuing leads in the 13-year-old homicide.
07-Jan-11 - After years of being accused of not telling the entire truth in the Notorious B.I.G.'s murder, a task force of various local and federal law enforcement officials have now told CNN that they are actively pursuing leads in the 13-year-old homicide.
06-Jan-11 - Robert Butler Jr. was found dead in his red Honda blocks from his new school with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after walking into the principal's office and shooting both the principal and vice principal.
06-Jan-11 - TMZ reports that Tiny (aka Tameka Cottle) confirmed that when she visited her hubby at an Arkansas federal corrections center, she took matters into her own hands when they were left alone in a room.
04-Jan-11 - Heroic Media, an Austin-based pro-life organization, is saturating billboards from Jacksonville, Fla., to Austin, Texas, with an insulting message that blatantly labels black women menaces to society.
29-Dec-10 - Nicole Mitchell Murphy, ex-wife of legendary comedian Eddie Murphy, is nearly flat broke and on the verge of losing the mansion awarded to her in her divorce settlement.
In Sudan one drop of Arab blood makes you Arab. The people in the North identify as Arabs and not Black even though they are dark skin and have predominantly Black ancestry.
Arab trader argument – if white Americans do something evil and terrible it is all right – or at least not all that bad – so long as they can find at least one example from world history of someone else doing the same thing. Thus the Atlantic slave trade was not so bad because Arabs traders sold slaves too! Utterly morally broken, but whites say it with a straight face.
Arab trader argument – if white Americans do something evil and terrible it is all right – or at least not all that bad – so long as they can find at least one example from world history of someone else doing the same thing. Thus the Atlantic slave trade was not so bad because Arabs traders sold slaves too! Utterly morally broken, but whites say it with a straight face.
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By: The Cynic on 1/31/2011 7:50PM
In Sudan one drop of Arab blood makes you Arab. The people in the North identify as Arabs and not Black even though they are dark skin and have predominantly Black ancestry.
Arab trader argument – if white Americans do something evil and terrible it is all right – or at least not all that bad – so long as they can find at least one example from world history of someone else doing the same thing. Thus the Atlantic slave trade was not so bad because Arabs traders sold slaves too! Utterly morally broken, but whites say it with a straight face.
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By: The Cynic on 1/31/2011 8:02PM
No I don't believe Egyptians are Black.
Arab trader argument – if white Americans do something evil and terrible it is all right – or at least not all that bad – so long as they can find at least one example from world history of someone else doing the same thing. Thus the Atlantic slave trade was not so bad because Arabs traders sold slaves too! Utterly morally broken, but whites say it with a straight face.
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