Racist Sudan Cripples Post-Revolution Democracy and Prosperity: Switch of Elites between Ideology and T

Racist Sudan Cripples Post-Revolution Democracy and Prosperity: Switch of Elites between Ideology and Tribalism
By
Dr. Mohamed N. Bushara
In South Africa the Apartheid was very clear along race lines which were the key for their eventual defeat by the black majority. The Americans were little different in terms of how blacks were forcefully enslaved, but were able to unite and rise in order to claim their rights under the rule of law. Now, even though anti-semitism and racism are not entirely abolished in the western world, the laws in place provide a relatively even and fair playing field for all people of all colors and ethnicity to live.
In Sudan, however, the greatest danger facing our republic is the veiled racism, false and empty reconciliation and promises then and now to the non-elites. All peace agreements between Darfur and sitting governments turned out to be “Darfur-Washing” and a bunch of lies as none has been implemented on the ground. Until the destruction of national self-image of the people of Darfur and the margin in general stops in favor of complete justice and equality, rebellion, animosity and bitterness of the margin will continue impeding nation’s prosperity and creating more despair.
The Nile Elites which represent the northern tribes cemented policies perpetuate the superiority of those from the north even if they live in the deep Sudan margins. They purposefully disregarded education inequality, power sharing and development to protect their advantage of opportunity. Their entire purpose is to maintain the 37% of the population under sustained oppression obscuring any path towards equality. They are gaining support from the ill-informed population on decisions regarding Darfur; the Elites perpetuate the notion that people from Darfur are inferior, evil gangbangers coming to take all the jobs and their women. They push the racial discrimination ideas that Darfuris are lazy, violent criminals who don’t value education and hard work. When qualified candidates approach the work force system, they say you do no not belong to the party to get a job. If you happened to belief in the same ideology and political party, you were categorized as out of the circle of enablers and therefore you can’t be hired. This is except for a handful of individuals who are viewed as politically corrupt and morally inadequate. For instance, during the rule of the ousted government, as we witnessed, if you are from the Nile Elites, you do not required to be a member of the ruling party NCP (National Congress Party) to work. I personally know many who were not part of the NCP but managed to be in the work force because of the switch in the rules from being party loyalists to Nile tribes.
My personal experience epitomizes the worst discrimination ever because it is never leveled with straight face. The segregation of University of Khartoum class of 1978, field camp at Umm Dorain, Nuba Mountains, is a shouting example where non-Elite students were thrown out of a fully furnished Guest House to an alternative camp area. So we ended up using a deserted elementary school building the entire camp period, while the Elites enjoyed cozy beds and warm showers. We were deluded then that we were strong and can withstand the roughness of a poorly- equipped camp area. I never really truly understood the depth of the racial injustice until I went to graduate school and began working as a professional. Again, as a qualified person I faced the same racial hindrance to get a job. I was told that even though you are very qualified, your
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application was denied for reasons no one can explain. Many others from Darfur experienced the same treatment.
These elitism and racial discrimination instigated resistance in Darfur dated far back in history. After the death of Sultan Ali Dinar in 1916, a resistance movement was established in Sunni of Jabel Marra under the name of the Red Flame to rise against inequality and lack of development in Darfur; followed by Directorate Club of Darfur in 1963 under the leadership of Ahmad Ibrahim Diraige. The peaceful struggles continued throughout several governments until the climax of 2003 armed standoff against NCP rule. The notion that Al Basheer government is solely responsible of the tragedies in Darfur is utterly false.
The set rules of racism mandate that the Nile Elites are infallible and anybody else is just stupid and undeserving. Every failure in this context must be someone else’s doing. Darforians they initiated the armed struggle and killed each other, under the watch of their own in the government. The Elites blame missteps of the transitional government peace negotiations in Juba on Darfur coalition and not the fragile government they instituted. Yet, even if their clearly audible dog whistles by fringes in other parts of the world, which can lead to violence, hate and injustice, the Elites will still point their fingers at everyone else for politicizing and making a big deal of an outlier created by their own despicable doings.
Now again, we see glaring examples in post-revolution Sudan as job allocations orchestrated by the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), follow the same model of favoring the Elites is being implemented thus far. These types of hidden discrimination and tribalism are debilitating forces in our civil society that will never allow the country to prosper. These forces backfire and become bad for everyone. They fuel bad policies and drain the economic and social potential for the entire Sudan. Therefore, we call upon the people of Sudan, revolutionaries and their political arm FFC and the transitional government to rise to the moment and rid of this recurring decease. Further, it is necessary to instill and enforce affirmative action laws to hold violators accountable and protect the rights of all Sudanese.