Well, we are hearing from our friends that finally they are starting to see news about South Sudan in their home newspapers. It is making me think of the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." Here is what is happening between South Sudan and Sudan this week:
UN Threatens Sanctions Against Sudan and South Sudan
-Stephanie
UN Threatens Sanctions Against Sudan and South Sudan
The moral equivalency in this international decision is maddening. I am not so naive as to think that the SPLA (South Sudan) are the "good guys," but I'm also not blind enough to conclude that the SAF (North Sudan) are NOT the "bad guys." To treat the North and the South in the same way reflects an ambivalence that is tough to stomach.
So the South withdraws their troops and is rewarded for their conciliatory gesture with bombs dropped on their retreating soldiers and then this. It is hard to think of what incentives are left for South Sudan to make gestures of good faith in the peace negotiations.
Finally, a reminder of why all this fighting and political posturing matters: because it affects the lives of many real people in extremely serious ways.
Sadly, this article is not about the current conflicts, but the persistent war for survival that Sudanese women face, even within their own homes. This article is not at all well researched (the claim that disarmament is good for women is a bit of a stretch), but its basic premise should be shouted from the rooftops:
"Nearly all women -- some 88 per cent, according to UNESCO -- are
illiterate. A girl is statistically more likely to die of pregnancy
related causes than complete primary education. 'South Sudan is one of the toughest countries in the world to be a woman.'"
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