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Africa: Highs and Lows of the 2012 African Cup of Nations

Chellsy Alis Manning — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:43:56 +0000

Beyond their ethnic, political and regional divides, people unite together around their national football team. We saw the First Lady of Gabon dancing like an excited schoolgirl every time one of the eleven players of the ‘Azingo Nationale' scored a goal and became “the Panthers” for their country.

The people of Equatorial Guinea were ecstatic with the qualification of their national team, languishing in the midst of one of the most ferocious dictatorships. According to Human Rights Watch, journalists who have visited the country to report on the human rights situation have been detained, interrogated, censored and deported.

In the fervour surrounding the 2012 African Cup of Nations, there are two key points that attract attention. The first is the absence of some of the higher achieving teams in African football.

Michael Dodje's blog explains [fr] the unusual goings-on in this year's Cup of Nations:

Imagine a Euro competition without Germany, Spain, Holland and England. Impossible you say, even though Ukraine or Poland would not have to participate in the qualifying rounds as host nations. And yet, this is what happened in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Indeed, for the first time in ages we will not see Egypt, Cameroon, Algeria, Nigeria or even South Africa in this championship. How did this happen?

Remembering that the five teams mentioned above have won 15 out of 27 previous Cup of Nations tournaments. Nicholas Mc Anally on le229.com responded [fr]:

…If these teams do not qualify then there will be others to replace them. It's a breath of fresh air seeing teams like Botswana, Niger and Equatorial Guinea making their debuts in the Cup of Nations.

Another novelty in this year's Cup is the way that the thorny issue of bonuses has been resolved. A post on the blog plat du pied explained [fr] what happened on the 15 November, 2011:

After the cancellations of the matches against China, Gabon, Salvador and Mexico, Cameroon has again cancelled a friendly match at the last minute for the fifth time since the start of the season. The players went on strike, once again, in protest against the federation over their bonuses for the match.

On the same blog, a statement issued by the Cameroon players, known as the ‘Indomitable Lions', said:

Due to the absence of attendance bonuses, the players have decided not to travel to Algiers and to not play any part in the match against Algeria scheduled for the 15 November.

Different solutions to the problem have been found by building on past negative experiences. A post [fr] on the blog marocfootball.info, concerning the Moroccan national team, the ‘Atlas Lions' stated that:

The President of the highest court in Moroccan football announced that a deal has been made with the Atlas Lions in that they accept that they will not receive any form of attendance bonus if they fail to reach the quarter finals of the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Côte d'Ivoire, not long out of a prolonged and disastrous civil war, will pay their national team the ‘Elephants' a bonus of 5 billion CFA francs (1 million US dollars) if they win the final. The blog afrik11.com states [fr]:

The 23 players in the side receive 5 million CFA francs (10,000 USD) in attendance bonuses. This amount will be paid if the team is eliminated in the first round. In the quarterfinals, the bonus of each player will rise to 8 million, rising further to 10 million in the semifinals and then to 20 million in the final (40,000 USD). The coach, Zahoui François will also enjoy his share of the pie, receiving double the bonuses of his players.

afrik11.com also comments [fr] on the bonuses paid to the Mali national team, the ‘Eagles of Mali' at the beginning of January:

Earlier this week the Malian football team received their bonuses for qualifying for the 2012 African Cup of Nations. Two hundred million CFA francs (40,000 USD) were given in cash to the players and coaching staff before the national team left Lomé (Togo) for the final stage in their preparations for the competition.

The Equatorial Guinea team in training by @FlorianK_Sport

Equatorial Guinea, co-hosts of the event, is a country unable to build a stadium capable of hosting a match due to the frequent rains. Yet abidjan.net posted a blog surrounding their first victory [fr] in the competition:

Teodorin Obiang, the Minister for Agriculture presented a cheque for 500 million CFA francs (760,000 euros) to Francisco Pascual Eyegue Obama Asué, the Minister for Sport, in the absence of the national team in Mbini (mainland Mali). He added a cheque for 20 million CFA francs (30,400 euros), 10 million that had been promised for each goal scored ; the team only won the match 1-0 but he explained that the goal disallowed by the referee deserved to be credited with a bonus.

This blog points out that the actions of Teodorin, tipped to succeed his father as president, are under scrutiny by the Americans.

The generosity of petrodollars being used for the bonuses for the Equatorial Guinea football team makes the Republic of Guinea look like a poor relation. In Conakry, the first problem was in trying to find the money to pay for the bonuses. As reported by lejourguinee.com, the country set up a National Committee for Support, led by General Mathurin Bangoura, Minister for Housing and Urban Development with the aim of raising funds for the bonuses. Notably, the first contributions came from the Indian community settled in the country.

The least well-spent money during the tournament, without doubt, has to be the bonuses awarded to the ‘Teranga Lions', the Senegalese national team, who had entered the competition as strong favourites and fell at the first hurdle. Yet, at the beginning of the competition the blog can.starafrica.com stated [fr] that:

There are some concerns surrounding the bonuses given to the Senegalese side. On Wednesday the Sports Ministry gave the squad bonuses amounting to 140, 650,000 francs in full for their qualification for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.

Africa: 2012 Cup of Nations Kicks Off!

Dan Horlor — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:47:12 +0000

[All links to external content are in French]

The Africa Cup of Nations began in Bata, Equatorial Guinea this Saturday January 21, 2012, kicking off three weeks of fierce competition. The Cup of Nations, the most important international football competition in Africa, is taking place in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea between January 21 and 12 February.

Supporters in Africa and around the world have been enjoying the build-up to the two opening matches; dancing, light and sound were all part of the spectacle:

GaGuie the Mascot! With GAGUIE : GA as in Gabon, GUI as in Guinea and E as in Equatorial! Image from fr.cafonline.com with permission

Here is a round up of the first three days of the tournament.

Matchday One

Libya took on Equatorial Guinea in the curtain raiser on 21 January, and it was co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, making their tournament debut, who took a surprise 1-0 win.

With just six minutes remaining, Balboa, the Equatorial Guinea number 11 finally opened the scoring after a one-on-one with the Libyan goalkeeper. The score stayed 1-0 until the final whistle, to the delight of the Equatorial Guinea fans who had packed the stadium.

The Senegalese fluffed their entry to the competition with a 2-1 defeat inflicted by Zambia on the same day. Senegal fans took to the web to place the blame on coach of the national team.

Touy wrote on Seneweb News [fr]:

le souci avec un entraîneur local c'est que même s'il se rend compte que le capitaine par exemple Niang n'est pas au niveau il aura la crainte la peur ou la pudeur de le faire sortir au détriment de la victoire bien sur!!

The problem with having a local coach is that even if he realises that the captain, let's say Niang, is not good enough he'll either be afraid or too modest to take him off, to the detriment of getting the win of course!

Amara Traoré [fr] on RFI sheds some light on the subject for us:

Tout le monde savait avant même le début de la CAN que les zambiens sont très vifs et utiliseraient cette vivacité pour gérer les sénégalais beaucoup plus costauds. Alors lui l’entraîneur et son staff devraient trouver un bon système pour les contenir avant de les attaquer.Donc je trouve kil n'a pas fais son boulot qui était de voir les choses venir et de jouer avec des joueurs rapides mais surtout de ne pas trop bourrer cette attaque ou personne ne se retrouve .

Everyone knew, even before the Cup of Nations began, that the Zambians are very energetic and would use that energy to combat the much bigger and stronger Sengalese. So the coach and his staff should find a system to contain thembefore going on the attack. He hasn't done his job which is to anticipate and play fast players but above all not to throw men forward who then can't find each other.

Matchday Two

The second matchday saw the entry of one of the competition favourites: the ‘Elephants' of Côte d'Ivoire. A magnificent strike by Didier Drogba in the 39th minute secured the victory for Côte d'Ivoire over Sudan. The win for the Elephants wasn't enough for every Ivorian fan on the net however. Many felt that they could have done better.

Phox Hermann [fr] said:

la vérité est bonne à dire heinnn. ELEPHANT ke moi jai vu là c N'IMPORTE KOI

Good to tell the truth, riiight. That was no ELEPHANT that I saw

Bi Tia Vincent Toh [fr] added:

la conservation d'un unique but nous a donné des sueurs froides.
Que Mr Gervino soit un peu plus réaliste devant les buts,
Que Mr Yaya Touré regagne sa place au milieu et joue effectivement comme à city
Que la defense cesse d etre trop permeable,

keeping hold of a one goal lead brought us out in a cold sweat.
If only Mr Gervino [sic] was more realistic in front of goal,
If only Mr Yaya Touré could get his place back in the middle and play as well as he does at city
If only the defence stopped leaking,

Angola also played their first game and overpowered Burkina Faso with a 2-1 victory.

Matchday Three

Gabon, the second co-host team of the 2012 Cup of Nations showed their strength with a 2-0 win over Niger, the opening Group C match of the tournament played in a fantastic atmosphere in the Stade de l'Amitié in Libreville.

Rodrigue Magaya [fr] commented on Aubameyang's goal on Facebook:

que dire?!!!merci aux gars, il fallait ça pour la beauté du spetacle et naturelement monter a tt nos adversaires que nous sommes la!!bien en place et on a pas peur!!!vive la can, et vive encore plus nos pantheres;que Dieu benisse le gabon!!!!!!

what can I say?!!!thanks to the lads, we needed that for the beauty of the contest and naturally to show all our opponents that we're here!!right on the spot and with no fear!!long live the cup of nations, and may our panthers live even longer;God bless Gabon!!!!!!

The 2012 Cup of Nations can be followed on TV5 Monde, Canal+ Afrique and on Twitter and Google+ via the hashtags #CAN2012 (in French) et #ACN2012 (in English).

Sudan: Sudanese Activist, Alim Boushi, Freed from Prison

SudaneseDrima — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:36:09 +0000

A case that Sudanese bloggers and tweeps have been highlighting in recent days, indicating the current repressive state of affairs in Sudan, is the arrest of the Sudanese political activist and engineer Mohamed Hassan Alim, nicknamed Boushi. Alim was released on January 17, 2011 after 24 days in jail. He was arrested after publicly and harshly criticizing Nafi Ali Nafi, a prominent Sudanese politician, for corruption.

Before his release, Sudanese blogger, Mimz wrote a passionate post expressing her anger and explaining what happened to Alim.

Over the past couple of years, the Sudanese government illegally detained many political activists, opposition party members, anti-NCP revolutionaries, students and journalists who spoke up against injustice. What happens to these detainees at national security prisons or “Ghost Houses” is incomprehensible and beyond any sane person’s mental capacity.

… In mid-December, Alim stood in front of a podium at the University of Khartoum and courageously confronted Nafie Ali Nafie for his crimes against the Sudanese people. He spoke up for you, me and the millions of Sudanese citizens who are struggling day to day to put bread on the table, find jobs and live a well-deserved respectful life. He voiced some of the frustrations we are facing because of the current government, and confronted Nafie and co for their corruption.

For three majestic minutes, Alim was the voice of every oppressed Sudanese person who ever endured a hardship in their life while watching the government privilege its own members and their families by generously offering them money, jobs, and perks earned with the blood and sweat of the average Sudanese people like they were theirs to give.

A few days after his speech, which was recorded and uploaded on YouTube, Alim was arrested from his home. The video now has over 240,000 views. Amnesty International took note of the events and released a statement about Alim's detention.

On 26 December 2011, Mohamed Hassan Alim was arrested from his house in Khartoum by seven men dressed in plain-clothes, believed to be NISS agents. He was beaten by the men in front of his mother and taken away in a car. He has been held incommunicado at an undisclosed location since his arrest. He faces serious risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

Sudanese bloggers and tweeps worried about Alim's fate. Mimz was also concerned and railed against Alim's arrest:

Alim’s freedom is our demand, and his blood is not only in Nafie’s hands, it’s in ours as well if we don’t speak up and demand his protection and his immediate release.

In a world where chivalry is dead and cowardice is spread like a viral disease, Alim stands out and is labeled Sudan’s Bouazizi.

The issues Alim took up with Nafie relate to corruption and favoritism… does this earn him an abduction and justify why his mother has to suffer not knowing his whereabouts, what is being done to him and if he will ever be released?

On the other hand, Zol Sudani, shared his thoughts on the matter in a blog post in Arabic, with an excerpt translated below.

بوشي كشفنا كلنا، كشف السودانيين فرد فرد، كشفنا أمام أنفسنا.. .. كشف نافع علي نافع و أصحابه مدعي التدين، فأثبت أنهم أضعف من أن يردوا الحجة بالحجة.. كشف الأمن الوطني، فهم ليسوا جهاز لحفظ أمن البلاد و المواطنين كما أقسموا أمام الله و الشعب، فأثبت أنهم موجودون لحفظ النظام ولو على حساب مواطن أعزل

Boushi exposed us all. He exposed the Sudanese, one bye one. He exposed us to ourselves. He exposed Nafi Ali Nafi, and his companions who claim to be religious. He proved that they're weak and unable to respond to an argument with an argument. He exposed how the national security is not dedicated to protecting the country and its people as they swore in their oaths. He proved that they're there just to protect the regime, even if this is at the expense of a weak unarmed citizen.

Sudanese on Twitter, like @daloya, tweeted with the hashtag #FreeAlim asking where Alim was.

@daloya: Boshi's mother, “I was promised 2 see Boshi 2 weeks after his arrest, I still have not been allowed 2 see him”. #FreeBoshi #FreeAlim #Sudan

Upon his release, Alim himself, said to Bloomberg News, “I didn’t know if I was going to be killed, held in prison forever, or if was going to see my family again.”

On January 1, 2012 Sudanese celebrated their country's 56th Independence Day. But some like Sudanese blogger, D3a Bin Kar however questioned what has ultimately been gained through independence:

we thought with independence, we would gain true freedom, equality, human rights and a chance to realize all the dreams our forefathers dreamed for our beloved Sudan.

For 56 years ago, Sudan has gone through a civil war, turmoil, drought, famine and recently a secession.

Millions have died unnecessarily, millions displaced, millions go to bed hungry every night. These are just not numbers but there are millions of individuals who need not to have gone through all of this.

All could have been avoidable.

D3a Bin Kar continues his post with a round up of key events that happened in Sudan throughout 2011, and ends on a more optimistic note.

Perhaps, 2012, will mark our true independence.

Africa: African Arguments Online

Ndesanjo Macha — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:27:13 +0000

African Arguments Online is “a multi-blogging site that covers both contemporary African events as they unfold, and develops debates on themes we believe are centrally important to an ever-changing continent.”

Sudan: A View From Blue Nile

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:51:13 +0000

Read Nenad Marinkovic's field dispatch from Blue Nile, Sudan: “The fighting in Blue Nile has, from the start, followed the pattern of previous clashes in South Kordofan, using frequent aerial bombardments that have repeatedly fallen on the civilian population.”

South Sudan/Sudan: Refugee Narrates Her Emotional Story

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:01:51 +0000

Amanda Hsiao talks to Miriam, a Sudanese refugee in Ethiopia. The post is part of a series based on Enough interviews with Blue Nile refugees in Sherkole refugee camp and Kurmuk, Ethiopia. Details of these testimonies are impossible to verify, but accounts Enough heard have been generally consistent.

Sahel Region: Slavery still very much a Reality for Some

Vivienne Griffiths — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:30:45 +0000

In an interview carried out by François Mauger with Mme Sophia Lakhdar [fr], Director of the Comité Contre l’Esclavage Moderne (Comittee Against Modern Slavery) published on the mondomix.com blog, she states: “Today human trafficking has taken over as the notion of modern slavery, which is a bit contrived. However it helps raise awareness and mobilize public opinion in the 1990's. That does not mean that in certain countries slavery no longer exists. I am thinking most notably of Mauritania, Sudan and Niger”

Sudan: Concern Grows About Detained Sudanese Writer

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:16:00 +0000

Concern grows about detained Sudanese writer and activist: “There’s been no word of Abdelmoniem Rahma, a poet and political activist, since he was arrested a month ago. Rahma was close to the ousted governor of Blue Nile State, Malik Agar, and involved in the arts.”

Sudan: Sudan's Desire to Join the East African Community a Headache

Ndesanjo Macha — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:15:17 +0000

Flight Africa notes that Khartoum’s application to join the East African Community is causing a diplomatic headache the member states: “No longer having any direct borders with any of the East African Community, the regime in Khartoum is thought to have placed their membership application to not only spite the new Republic of South Sudan but also to cause maximum diplomatic discomfort and division between the 5 present members.”

Sudan/South Sudan: Can the Issue of Ngok Dinka Citizenship be Resolved?

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:33:13 +0000

Hassan Barakya explains why the issue of citizenship for the Ngok Dinka of Abyei is so complex: “Now that South Sudan is independent, the Ngok Dinka are in legal limbo. While their stated loyalty has always been with the south, the geographical region they inhabit along with migratory groups officially belongs to the north.”

Sudan: Coup Against Public Liberties

Ndesanjo Macha — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:26:56 +0000

Osman Shinger examines the uncertain future of media freedom in Sudan: “Journalists and rights activists have expressed concern about diminishing press freedom in Sudan. Reporters attribute their pessimism to what they call a “coup” against public liberties. Chief among their concerns is the press freedom that was stipulated in the 2005 peace agreement, whose duration concluded with South Sudan’s independence that took effect on 9 July.”

South Sudan/Sudan: Football Torn By Citizenship

Ndesanjo Macha — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 16:51:39 +0000

What is the future of Sudanese football following the decision not to grant citizenship to Southern Sudanese living in the north?: “A large number of southern players have a significant presence on Sudanese football teams, including al-Hilal and al-Merreikh. They have also formed the mainstay of Sudan’s national team, as in the case of Richard Justin Lado, who played in a number of clubs, starting with al-Sahafa, followed by a move to al-Hilal before he went professional with the Ismaili team.”

South Sudan: Messages of #LoveFromSudan

Mahid (Sudanese Guardian) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:51:21 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.

On the eve of the independence of South Sudan, a group of young Sudanese started a movement that is trying to start a conversation between North and South to create mutual friendship between both sides and link young citizens of the two countries.

Mo Elzubeir is the main person behind the #lovefromsudan videos, audio and Twitter messages and is very active in promoting friendship and relationship between Sudan and South Sudan.

He wrote:

With the official birth of the new nation that was once a part of Sudan, many of us feel heartbroken. Not because of the rich resources that are now gone (and there is plenty of that). We are heartbroken because a part of us, a culture, a people, many peoples, have gone their own way.

But the truth is, I have nothing but love for the people of South Sudan. I wish them the best in their new nation. I wish for them to prosper and cherish the freedom they have fought and struggled for.

This is an open call to any Sudanese who would like to send a message of love to our brothers and sisters of South Sudan. A video and/or audio message of no more than 10 seconds from as many as possible to put together to show our support for the people of South Sudan.

Below are two video clips, A Love Letter to South Sudan and With Love From Sudan, that #loveFromSudan youth group made and several tweets about #love from sudan:

With Love From Sudan Initiative:

#LoveFrom Sudan - A Love Letter From Sudan:

#LoveFromSudan Tweets:

@cpaschyn:

#LoveFromSudan - A message of hope from North Sudan, on South Sudan's independence day. http://fb.me/10vyg0PO4

@elzubeir:

#LoveFromSudan should hopefully spin off and result in people realizing that with loss comes a new opportunity to appreciate what we have.

@HanaOsman:

Wow! mashallah seems the #LoveFromSudan video might hit 1000 views in less than 24 hours very soon … well done team! http://ow.ly/5Az0D

@bechhamilton:

And my blog shoutout to #LoveFromSudan here: http://t.co/CQejmMP #2Sudans

@MImzMimz:

#LoveFromSudan - A Love Letter to South Sudan http://t.co/BffBDXc

@simsimt:

LoveFromSudan wasn't exclusively about showing love. Semantics doesn't matter. It was more about respect of choice and bidding good wishes.

@Cameroon_Com:

#LoveFromSudan: A Love Letter to South Sudan http://t.co/r344h9P via @elzubeir! Hope the politians would watch & listen to their people!:)

@leighleighsf:

Congrats South Sudan! The world's newest country (#193) & Africa's 54th state, http://t.co/K7jLA85 The #LoveFromSudan tweets are inspiring.

@elzubeir:

Enough about us though. I hope the people of #SouthSudan break the African trend and build their new nation without fighting. #LoveFromSudan

This post is part of our special coverage South Sudan Referendum 2011.

China: Sudanese President Bashir's Visit Raises Eyebrows

John Kennedy — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:27:22 +0000

The visit by Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir - a fugitive from the International Criminal Court since being charged in 2009 with crimes against humanity and war crimes in his country's western Darfur region - to China this week is proving to be a controversial one, at least online.

Discussions about this visit have gone a bit zenga zenga across the Chinese Internet, and have turned out far more critical than official media are allowed to let on. Even a microblog post from the United Nations' official Weibo account generated a few pages of critical comments.

Here's a quick run-through of a few of the many threads which have surfaced on Weibo over the past few days, starting with a simple question from lesser-known microblogger, Bo Shalin8, who asks [zh] of the June 29 photo below, in which Bashir is seen shaking hands with Wu Bangguo, the second-highest ranked member of China's Communist Party, “What's the deal?”

Responses to Bo's question include:

TOKOOCJ 这叫罪友，同犯反人类罪。
月明不照人：这是世人看不起中国的原因之一
鹿野-:看得不起看不起并不重要,其实右边那位代表的才是半个世纪以来文明世界的无奈和心痛.
阿寒地对内对外，干的都是逆历史潮流的事情。
黄埔Y新国家利益高于一切，没有苏丹的石油，中国伤不起。
cicocn 美国总统应该判屠杀非美国人类罪
爱到疯癫2012 标题应该是吴不搞抓住了巴希尔！
领导批示_敢动中国左边是通缉犯，右边是同案犯/
無常薯仔II 清华或者北大搞个巴希尔伟大思想研讨会吧……

- A partner in crime…against humanity.
- This is one of the reasons why people around the world look down upon Chinese.
- It doesn't matter if people look up or down upon the Chinese; the fact is that Wu has been a source of frustration and heartache for the civilized world for half a century.
- National interest comes before everything; Without Sudan's oil, China would be untouchable.
- The American president should be sentenced for slaughtering non-Americans.
- The headline should read, “Wu arrests Bashir!”
- The one on the left is a wanted criminal, the one on the right is his accomplice.
- Tsinghua or Peking University should hold a study session on Bashir Thought……

“Who is this Bashir?,” asks [zh] Weibo user Jin Bocheng, noting that ethnic cleansing is listed among the crimes for which Bashir is wanted internationally. Comments include:

青年共产主义者同盟看看国际刑庭都通缉过谁？米洛舍维奇，塞尔维亚的民族英雄！看看国际刑庭没通缉过谁？小布什，杀死了多少伊拉克人？奥巴马，一个同时指挥三场战争的诺贝尔和平奖得主！北约，杀了多少塞尔维亚人和利比亚人（包括三个中国记者）？国际刑庭放过一个屁么？
钟鼎文之微博我们的朋友不是独裁，就是专制
舞用都是些什么破烂朋友啊
民主风暴：看结交的朋友就知道体味如何
寒愁予国际法庭审判的都是正确?对米洛舍维奇的审判仅为了分裂南联盟。为什么中国不可以为国家利益去会见苏丹政府方?国际法庭里有没有代表我们13亿人利益?我们为什么加以尊重?英国的马岛海战谁受审?俄进攻格，谁受审?英国石油公司污染海洋谁受审了?

- Have you seen who the ICC has put a warrant out for? Milosevic, the hero of the Serbian people! Have you seen who the ICC hasn't put a warrant out for? George W. Bush, who killed who knows how many Iraqis. Or Obama, the Nobel peace prize winner currently overseeing three separate wars. How many Serbians and Libyans has NATO killed, not to mention Chinese journalists? Is the ICC blowing smoke out its ass or what?
- Our friends aren't dictators, they're autocrats.
- What kind of crappy friend to China is this?
- You can tell what kind of person someone is from the friends they keep.
- So what, ICC rulings are always correct? Sentencing Milosevic split up the Republic of Yugoslavia. China can't meet with the Sudanese government out of concern for its own national interests? Does the ICC represent the interests of all 1.3 billion of us? Why should we pay it any attention? Was anyone sentenced after the British Battle of Midway? Or Russian invasions? Has anyone from BP been sentenced for polluting the ocean?

“Recently we seem to be stepping up diplomatic relations with countries like Kazakhstan, North Korea and Cuba,” writes [zh] Weibo user Wang Xiaoyu. “Are we trying to learn from their advanced experience or what?” In response:

醒客-张凡是敌人反对的，我们就要拥护嘛。
王晓渔回复@醒客-张:哥们越来越少，抱团取暖
未来观点社会主义阵营……
梅非中国怎么没有反人类罪
南周评论员李铁没有世界警察的世界，什么人会逍遥法外？反过来想想，谁怕世界警察？
网民老顾那要看世界警察是干什么吃的，是主持公道扶持正义的还是为强权欺负弱小的。
民族家兴亡匹夫有责那还用说，充当世界警察的人逍遥法外了！谁也不怕世界警察，只是弱国受欺凌，国家没有实力，打不过那些能充当世界警察的人

- Anyone our enemies are against is a friend of ours.
- Yeah, but the number of our buddies keeps decreasing, we need to stick together to keep warm.
- The socialist camp…..
- In a world without any sort of world police, what kind of people would there be living beyond the reach of the law? If you look at it like that, who's really afraid of the world police?
- Well that depends on what it is the world police do. Do they uphold justice and order, or do they bully around weak countries for their strong state masters?
- Then you also have to point out that those acting as the world police live outside the law themselves! Nobody's afraid of any world police, but weaker countries do get bullied around and can't defend themselves, unable to fend off those acting as the world's police.

Noting that Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei recently spoke on China's official stance to solemnly support the ICC warrant out on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Weibo user Liu Zhirong questions [zh] China's double standards when it comes to the ICC.

Among the many comments Liu received on his several updates regarding the nature of Bashir's visit, one reader retorted: China hasn't even officially joined the ICC, so why on earth are they supporting its decision?' ‘Bashir's not here for us to learn from him, I hope,' wrote another. More comments include:

练蒙蒙国家利益至上，国际刑事法院？算个球。中国和美国都没签字加入。
曹峻峰哪个国家不是这标准，这个问题上幸亏您只是个书生
兲朝近黄昏【兲朝没有是非观念】
WS流传风中国要有自己的盟友！但国际刑事法庭有中国人吗？！
卓尔独行V 回复@WS流传风:国际刑事法庭有中国法官，而且先后有三位中国法官。
擅长歪楼都说了”法律不是挡箭牌“，朋友，你还不明白？
程长的微博习惯了已经，如果美帝反对我们吃大便，我们的父母官也会真的拿块大便来吃的

- National interests come before everything. As for the ICC? C'mon, neither China nor the United States have ratified it.
- Which country doesn't have double standards of its own? You sound like a bookworm the way you ask this question.
- The damn celestial court has no sense of right or wrong.
- China needs allies of its own! But then do you see any Chinese sitting on the ICC?
- Actually there is a Chinese judge on the ICC, the third so far. [[[Is that true?]]]
- Friends, the law cannot be used as a shield. Do you still not get it?
- We're just so used to it. If the American imperialists were against us eating shit, the older generation would actually have started eating shit, just to spite them.

Sudan: An Abyei Timeline: The Long Road to Khartoum’s Military Invasion

Ndesanjo Macha — Sat, 28 May 2011 12:17:28 +0000

Following Sudan's military invasion of Abyei, Eric Reeves provides a schematic chronicle of events from 1905 to demonstrate, “(1) just how fully the National Islamic Front/National Congress Party regime calculated and prepared for its military invasion; (2) when de facto military control of Abyei was achieved; (3) what served as pretext for actual military invasion; (4) and the civilian consequences of the past week of violence, looting, and burning.”