Sudan Archive
No More Grains of Rice
Posted by jimheck in Congo, Foreign Aid, Global Relations, Kenya, Politics, Rwanda, Sudan, War on November 30, 2012
Susan Rice’s performance on the Sunday Talk Shows incorrectly explaining the Benghazi attacks is a perfect example of how she has historically allowed political considerations to trump more important foreign policy or human rights considerations in Africa. She’s been acting like this for years. She seems incapable of intricate analysis and quiet diplomacy. She’s no [...]
Rally Round the Rig, Boys!
Chen Guangcheng overshadows a great diplomatic partnership between the U.S. and China succeeding right now in Sudan. Yesterday in coordinated diplomacy that worked faster than a ping pong match, the U.S. moved a resolution through the United Nations Security Council that would impose harsh sanctions of both the North and South Sudan if they don’t [...]
Partnership for Peace & Oil
The time has come for China and the U.S. to become allies to stop the war in The Sudan and get oil pumping, again. The U.S. must immediately nominate China as mediator in the North/South Sudan conflict with wide powers to demarcate borders. Yes it’s agonizingly obvious it’s all about oil, but China unlike the [...]
Breakup Brokers need China
Only China can stop the Sudanese war. This is the first great test of its diplomatic strength and savvy in Africa. Last week South Sudan restarted a generation-old war with its former northern master, Sudan, by invading an oil field on the common border which remains disputed territory. Five days later the South retreated having [...]
Top Ten 2011 Africa Stories
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, African Awakening, Arts and Culture, Big Game, Botswana, Congo, Culture, Economy, Egypt, Environment, Nairobi, Perceptions of Africa, Poaching, Politics, Poverty, Refugees, Safety, Serengeti, South Africa, Sudan, Terrorism, Tourism Trends, Twevolution, Uganda, War, Weather, Wildlife Management, Zimbabwe on December 31, 2011
Twevolution, the Arab Spring [by Twitter] is universally considered the most important story of the year, much less just in Africa. But I believe the Kenyan invasion of Somalia will have as lasting an effect on Africa, so I’ve considered them both Number One. 1A: KENYA INVADES SOMALIA On October 18 Kenya invaded Somalia, where [...]
Calling the South Sudan Corrupt
Posted by jimheck in Corruption, Sudan on July 28, 2011
I am sick of westerners criticizing corruption in Africa, and recent reports from Africa’s 54th country, the new South Sudan, reveal how hypocritical, racist and just plain unfair corruption charges against Africa often are. The new South Sudan is suddenly rich by most African standards, because of its ownership – yet to be fully defined [...]
Genocide in Sudan
Even as muscled optimism sweeps across Africa and the MiddleEast, I worry that dark history is repeating itself, that the 1994 world-ignored genocide in Rwanda is occurring right now – this very moment – in The Sudan. The racist North Sudanese government has started a military ethnic cleansing of Nubian peoples in the North Sudan [...]
No Yawn, but not a Scream Either
Southern Sudan has voted to split from the North in a peaceful, fair election. Minor trouble was reported in the border regions, but all the players took it in stride. It was not and never should have been considered the moments before doomsday. We have known for 5 years this would be peaceful. George Clooney, [...]
Sudan Update: Going Well
Half way through the referendum election process, the birthing of South Sudan is going well. Folks are voting, militias are firing, and U.S. celebrities have egg on their faces. (Or should I say, posho on their jowls.) There is fighting along the proposed border near the oil-rich Abyei oil fields, and this should not be [...]
Religious Partition to End Wars
Until now many efforts towards peace in troubled parts of Saharan Africa have focused on fomenting coexistence betweenf Islam and competing religions. What the Sudanese referendum says is that coexistence of Muslim and non-Muslim ideologies won’t work. When the election in The Sudan ends this weekend and shortly thereafter South Sudan declares itself sovereign, Muslims [...]
The Story of The Sudan
Sunday is the beginning of the end of one of the most monumental conflicts Africa has ever experience, and Sen. John Kerry was there this week to gently help see it through. Sen. Kerry arrived in The Sudan on Tuesday and returned home yesterday. Today Jimmy Carter arrived with his wife to monitor the election. [...]
Top Ten 2010 Stories
Posted by jimheck in Arts and Culture, Corruption, Culture, Early Man, Ecology, Economy, Foreign Aid, Great Migration, History, Planning Travel, Poaching, Politics, Poverty, Serengeti, Sudan, Terrorism, Tourism Trends, Uganda, Uncategorized, War on December 31, 2010
East Africa is booming, so many of the stories of 2010 were terrifically good news. But there were the tragedies as well like the Kampala bombings. Below I try to put the year in perspective with my top ten stories for East Africa for 2010. 1. Populace democracy grows. 2. Terrorism grows, as does the [...]
Does Clooney Help or Hurt?
The Obama Administration has been balancing American interests in The Sudan deftly and with amazing success. “Winds of War”, George Clooney and Ann Curry might have jeopardized these efforts. “Winds of War”’s principal success is the message that genocide is likely following next month’s referendum for the south to secede from the north. But the [...]
They Will Divorce
Guess what? After a generation of war the peace of a richly endowed part of Africa the size of Texas all comes down to … who gets .. That’s it! .. The what? OIL! I’ve been writing for several years, now, that I believed – almost counterintuitively and certainly contrary to many observers — that [...]