Sudan Decides

As his stint in Sudan comes to an end this summer British Ambassador Nicholas Kay seems to have gathered an understanding of the contradictions that can frustrate, amuse, and engage those of us reading the runes of the country’s complex politics.

His blog reflects this, getting more poetic and wistful:

So life goes on in the Khartoum bubble – diplomatic receptions, the International Trade Fair in full swing, new hospitals (private) open, weddings abound, construction continues to boom. But I feel an increasing sense of unreality. Is this a city that is going through the motions – elegant, poised, with good heart, but where something fundamental is missing? I can’t quite grasp what it is, but images of discord rather than harmony come to mind. It’s as if the orchestra is bickering amongst itself, the singers are each on a different verse and the dancers don’t know whose tune to follow. Meanwhile thieves among the audience pick pockets and the ushers beat up people when they think no one is looking.

As the only senior diplomat in Khartoum to write a blog it is perhaps unsurprising that it has brought him some criticism in the right wing local press, US advocacy groups, as well as a summons from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, to manage to annoy so many, with such different axes to grind, shows that his blog is having the desired effect – increasing debate about some fundamental issues in Sudanese society. The fact that Khartoum’s MFA dragged him in for a slap on the wrist in front of TV cameras and the rest of the Khartoum press has had the unintended consequence of raising his blog’s profile. It is now regularly published in the local press, whereas before it was largely ignored.

As usual February’s entry covered a wide range of issues. He expressed his regret at recent sectarian violence which is notably rare considering the country’s religious diversity. Rarer still was Sudan’s victory at the African Cup of Nations. The Falcons have now been knocked out but, as Kay noted, it was a welcome but brief moment when Sudan was in the news for a positive reason.

Good news about Sudan is hard to find at times, and for the most part rightly so, that is how the news works. That said, Sudan being in the world media for something that wasn’t related to war, hunger, and human rights abuses must have been a refreshing change for most Sudanese people who are tired of the way their country is portrayed globally.

The example Kay gives of the how the Northern neighbours of a deceased Southern Sudanese man helped with his funeral, is a nice reminder that not all north-south relations are as bitter as those between the two governments.

A young man dies penniless and far from home. Neighbours and strangers rally round. A funeral is arranged and paid for. Distant relatives get to Khartoum. Children are comforted. Arrangements made. Life goes on. The dead man is from South Sudan; the neighbours from the north. At street and village level, the social fabric seems strong. The daily struggle to provide food, transport, schooling and health care for loved ones unites people.

One can only hope that as the April deadline for Southern Sudanese to register as a foreign national or leave Sudan for newly independent South Sudan, such relationships and tolerance will not be completely lost. With considerably less Southern Sudanese already in Khartoum, the city has already lost some of the diversity that made it such an interesting place to live.

You can read the full blog posting here: FCO Blogs > Nicholas Kay > diplomacy > Out of Tune

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