KHARTOUM TO BE KEPT OUT OF EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY
The spat earlier this week between the regime in Khartoum and the government in Nairobi, which blew up when the High Court in Nairobi issued instructions for an arrest warrant against North Sudans regime leader, wanted by the International Criminal Court, alongside several of his henchmen, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes, has proved to be the nail in the coffin for their application to join the East African Community. Uganda and Tanzania had already made it clear that they would categorically oppose the application and Kenya is now equally miffed after the Kenyan Ambassador was given marching orders by the regime in Khartoum. There are however more fundamental reasons for rejecting this particular application, as for one the now separated state shares no borders with any EAC member countries, a crucial requirement for joining. In addition, the constant repression of womens rights, the application of Sharia law in contrast to civil law across the East African Community, language barriers and incompatible goals have also been cited as reasons for rejecting the application, giving the new country of South Sudan reason to smile, especially considering the recent military aggression by Khartoum in territories claimed by the South. Ethnic cleansing is in progress in such regions as Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, where the populations aspire towards freedom and liberty from a slave like regime with bombings by the Sudan Airforce also reported inside South Sudans territory, facts which will not go unnoticed by the Head of State Summit in Bujumbura this week. Said a regular source from Juba: We have observers in Bujumbura and are lobbying that our own application is being entertained. We are Africans, we are part of East Africa, we spent years in exile in Kenya and Uganda before the CPA in 2005 and Khartoums most recent actions, militarily as well as boycotting us economically, have combined with the expulsion of the Kenyan Ambassador to shut the door in their face. Such a regime does not belong in the civilized community of East Africa and they have to fundamentally reform from top to bottom before they should be considered. In fact the world should take notice of the brutal oppression of Africans in Abyei, South Kordofan and Blue Nile where they are driven off their land in the tens of thousands to ethnically cleanse those areas to prevent a yes vote for freedom and liberties when their referendum time finally comes. Harsh words but well deserved adds this correspondent in closing.
