Amidst the pervading doom and
gloom atmosphere generated by the Syrian, Congolese and
It no doubt came as a surprise to
many when the government of Sudan South Sudan , a country
which split from the Sudan South Sudan
in the past week. The visit signals a softening and warming in relations
between both countries who until 2011 had been engaged in conflict which claimed
the lives of an estimated two million people.
Recent conflict between both
nations was the result of disputes over the ownership of oil rich regions
bordering the countries. The dispute threatened to plunge the region into
anarchy, a state from which it has hardly recovered following decades of
fighting, but for the inspired intervention of the much maligned African Union
(AU) who stepped in in time to prevent the escalation of hostilities. A
demilitarised zone, akin to that in place in the Korean peninsula, established
in March of this year is the legacy of the recent conflict.
Whether the pleasantries and
niceties exchanged between both countries’ leaders at last week’s meeting will
become a permanent feature of their relationship largely remains to be seen although
if their leaders’ statements are anything to be relied upon then one may well
surmise that a new dawn is set to spring upon the North African terrain. For
his part, al-Bashir proffered, “We won’t go back to war. President (Salva) Kiir
and I agreed that the war was too long.” His counterpart Kiir, also accepted an
invitation to pay al-Bashir a return visit.
It is to the credit of both
nations and the AU that the threat of war has seemingly been extinguished,
albeit temporarily. The symbiotic relationship between both is however one
which has been overlooked as constituting a catalyst for the improvement in
relations between the countries. The production of oil, a resource which accounts
for a substantial part of both countries’ economies, virtually ceased almost
throughout 2012 and which, as expected, has had a devastating impact on their
economies. For all the ills associated with oil, human rights abuses,
totalitarian regimes, rouge states et al, oil, for once, should be given credit
for perhaps saving the lives of innocent civilians who would no doubt have
become engulfed in another senseless conflict. Both countries’ fortunes, like
that of twins, are inextricably linked and as such their leaders, Kiir and
al-Bashir, will do well to heed the mantra “together
we stand and divided we fall”, as only then will the cessation of
hostilities be rooted in permanence.
