Toothless and badly-timed as the indictment of Sudan's president may be, morally we cannot afford not to support it.

… The timing was unfortunate. Many in the Arab world are still reeling from the recent incursion into Gaza and governments are continuing to capitalise on anti-western sentiment. The ostensible hypocrisy of targeting Bashir when apparently Israel and the west are impune renders his martyrdom on the altar of international double standards convenient for Arab or African heads of state living in their own glass houses.

Second, we have Sudanese Optimist, a student in the United States, who isn't too happy and shares with us what the pragmatist in her wonders:

Every media outlet is giving a voice to a plethora of self appointed political pundits, common-sense-loathing activists, and confused citizens of the earth, all trying to make sense of the International Criminal Court’s issuance of a warrant for the arrest of Omar Al-Bashir. However, the one voice that seems to have been muffled by the pandemonium surrounding the issue is that of the Sudanese citizen. I ask: what about me Luis Ocampo?

(…)

… the pragmatist in me is questioning the effectiveness of the ICC’s decision, and the extent of ‘justice’ it will provide for the victims of the Darfur conflict. It could be too early for the man on the street to speculate, but I sincerely hope that Luis Ocampo and the ICC have a follow-up plan to assuage the commotion caused by the indictment of a sitting head of state. Does the ICC consider this the end result, or a starting point in the quest of peace and justice in Sudan? This question remains unanswered.

Now, let's see what AK, also a student in the United States, has to say.

The first thing that I noticed was the fact that the Court only charged him on two of three accusations, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The prosecutor did not get his third request for the crime of genocide. This is very telling. Both the first two crimes can be very easily proven and linked back to Al-Bashir, however, the third accusation (of genocide) cannot be as easily proven or linked back to the President.

… Also, the ‘Save Darfur‘ crowd in the United States cannot be happier. In fact, they are using this opportunity to raise funds, as if this arrest warrant is all due to their so-called “advocacy.” This is a snapshot of their website's home page taken after the arrest warrant was issued.

Along with most Sudanese I know, I am very critical of Save Darfur (et al.). They have been the strongest proponents of intervention in Sudan, something which will undoubtably exacerbate the situation for the worse. But I'll leave that for a later time.

(…)

Here is a clip of the scenes from Khartoum today:

AK also posted this video of Sudanese ICC supporters and Bashir supporters clashing in NYC.

At about 1:30 in the clip, you can see the clashes between the Bashir and ICC supporters.

Next up, we have Mimz with her thoughts and an important observation on what the ICC's decision could mean to this year's planned elections in Sudan.

I am not a big fan of El-Bashir, in fact I despise the man (would be an understatement) for what he has been putting our country and our people through for the past god knows how long. But the ICC just could not delay this decision, which we all knew was coming, and felt the need to make it today and ignore the fact that the first democratic elections in more than twenty years are expected this year.

Finally we have Path2Hope who isn't joyful either.

Now the warrant has been issued and exactly what this means for Sudan I do not know. But what I do know is that expelling the activities of 10 of the aid agencies does not help either. Hasn't the average Sudanese suffered enough? Now that these agencies can no longer do their work - who will step in and fill the gap? I am so angry at not only this reaction in Sudan but by the idiotic ruling of the ICC in the first place.

On a related note, here are Rob Crilly's latest Twitter updates directly from Darfur where he is right now.

10:07 AM Mar 5th # NGO staff held at gunpoint in Nyala on way to airport to leave. They were stopped by national security, very people kicking em out 7:07 AM Mar 5th

# Tired, smelly. Out of anti-perspirant. Word is Bashir coming here on Sunday but I need a drink 8:18 AM Mar 5th

# aid workers now stuck in Khartoum. Must wait for exit visas - the final irony 9:07 AM Mar 5th

# Unamid staff now being allowed out of base to go home after 48hr lockdown. All calm in El Fasher 2:10 AM Mar 6th

# three aid vehicles burned in Khartoum last night 3:01 AM Mar 6th

# Aid workers staying in khartoum for now as negotiations continue. No-one holding much hope. 6:00 AM Mar 6th

See past coverage of Sudanese blogger reactions to the ICC arrest warrant on Global Voices.

After a frustrated rant about Khartoum International Airport's unhygienic condition, Sudanese Optimist mourned the passing of the respected and well-known Sudanese novelist, Al-Tayeb Saleh.

Sudan has lost a dear citizen, who has contributed tremendously to Sudanese and Arabic literature. His most acclaimed work is the 1966 novel “Season of Migration to the North.” The novel was, at one point, banned in Sudan for its inclusion of sexual imagery, yet it was declared “the most important Arabic novel of the 20th century” by the Syrian-based Arab Literary Academy in Damascus.

Earlier this year, The General Union for Sudanese Writers, requested Al Tayeb Saleh to be preliminarily nominated to win the 2009 Literature Noble Prize.

Ras Babi Babiker mourned Saleh's passing too by reminding us about the great novel that made him a major name in the world of modern Arabic literature.

Season of Migration to the North (Arabic: موسم الهجرة إلى الشمال Mawsim al-Hiǧra ilā ash-Shamāl ) is a classic post-colonial Sudanese novel by the late novelist Al-Tayyib Salih. Originally published in Arabic in 1966, it has since been translated into English and French.

The novel charts individuation of the (un-named) narrator, who has returned to his native village in the Sudan having spent seven years in England furthering his education.

On his arrival home, he encounters a new villager (”Mustafa Sa'eed”) who exhibits none of the adulation for his achievements that most others do, and displays an antagonistically aloof nature. The villager betrays his past one drunken evening by wistfully reciting poetry in fluent English, leaving the narrator resolute to discover the stranger's identity. As it turns out Mustafa was also a precocious student educated in the west but simultaneously harbors a violently hateful and complex relationship with his western identity and acquaintances. The story of Mustafa's troubled past in Europe and in particular his love affair with a British woman, forms the center of the novel.

Meanwhile, as Drima mourned along with his fellow bloggers the death of his country's great novelist, he also blogged an in-depth analysis on the possible consequences of an ICC arrest warrant charging his country's president with crimes against humanity and genocide.

the ICC can’t do much on its own in terms of enforcing the arrest warrant (if it issues it at all) and the UN is a fangless paper tiger, but…

… given that we now have Susan Rice as the US Ambassador to the UN, Hillary as Secretary of State (she has her own blog now by the way), and a Blue Donkey administration in charge of running things, US policies towards Sudan will gradually become starkly different than they were just a few months ago when Bush was still in power.

An ICC arrest warrant issued within this new context will now have more weight, and hence its potential issuance will probably be more useful as a tool for pressuring Omar al-Bashir to act in favor of peace in Darfur and implementing the CPA.

Mimz, who returned to the blogosphere after a long absence, also recently mentioned the ICC arrest warrant and her adventures with Facebook.

“Dang!” doesn’t even begin to describe it. It’s been almost a year and a half since I was last here. And a lot of things went down during that time. Here are just a few highlights:

1. I joined facebook.
2. There’s a global economic crisis going on and it’s on the rise.
3. Obama was elected president of the United States.
4. Israeli troops attacked Ghaza killing and injuring hundreds.
5. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Omer El-Bashir on charges of war crimes.
6. I graduated.
7. Sami El-Haj was released from Guantanamo Bay. (I obviously have a lot of editing to do).
8. Gillian Gibbons was arrested for a “teddy bear blasphemy case” in Khartoum.
9. The rebels reached Khartoum and attacked everyone.
10. I quit facebook.

Did I mention that I finally graduated?

Hipster, a Sudanese blogger living in the UAE, is now also back actively blogging again. She shares with us a little “Che Guevara” experience she had while driving to work.

Aggravated at the abrupt interruption, I glared at the monstrous vehicle, only to be completely amazed and amused at the sight of the colors and words adorning the spare tire case. Che Guevara’s renowned & symbolic raggedy face picture was sandwiched between words in bold letters namely “T.N.T” and “ Al Maafia”. I couldn’t help but look down at my paperback copy of “The Young Che: Memories of Che Guevara”, lying on the passenger’s seat, triggering me to ponder and wonder upon the mockery this revolutionary has become.
With my humble knowledge, I ask: What do “T.N.T” and “Mafia” have anything to do with the Soldier of the Americas?

And if you've ever wondered whether blogging is a form of therapy, you're not alone. Path2Hope shares those thoughts too.

And then it happened, the dam that was blocking my ability from putting down thoughts onto paper broke and everything wanted to come pouring out instantly. So much to write about, so many experiences to relate and then you sit infront of the laptop and wonder - who the heck cares? Everyone has their own battle that they are tackling - and well I suppose blogging really is a form of therapy and an excuse to self indulge.

As for JohnAckec, he reminded us today of the increasingly sad situation with education in Sudan.

With more than 30 universities in Sudan and with talk of declining academic standards and rising level of unemployment amongst university graduates in our country, one is led to believe that university education has lost its glitter and is now next to worthless. Nothing could be further from the truth.

On a happier note, Precious, wished everyone a Happy Valentine's Day.

Although I no longer beleive in romance and that passionate love I used to dream of, and although I no longer trust a man's fake “I love you”s, but you might still have a little hope. So anyway, I deeply and sincerely wish you a very Happy Valentines day, whether you are Single, dating, engaged or married. Enjoy the day and dont let anyone not even him/her, ruin it for you!

After a period of absence, AK comes back with a blog post about a deeply moving documentary called “Orphans of Mygoma” which was originally televised by Aljazeera International. It tells the story of an orphanage in Sudan and illegitimate children.

Great documentery by Aljazeera's Witness program. Please watch both parts below.

To get a decent understanding about the social stigma surrounding illegitimate children in Sudan, read this comment by optimist on AK's blog:

The Mygoma oprhanage is truly one of the saddest aspects of Sudan. I think people might overlook the fact that not only are those children starved for affection and good health care, they are also faced with the biggest challange (if they survive to face it,) which is the intese social stigma of being a born-out-of-wedlock child. The Sudanese society is decidedly biased against illigitimate children, even though such behavior is not supported by Islam.

I really do hope things will change for the orphans of Mygoma.

Next, we have DZA with something more cheerful. Apparently, YouTube's block in Sudan has been lifted.

Youtube is unblocked in Sudan now, I don't know who to thank, maybe me for starting that group :p lol .. but ey, thank god
anyways ..

Meanwhile, Path2Hope was lucky enough to be in Kenya to witness all the celebrations there after Obama was announced winner of the US elections:

It's only been a few weeks since I arrived in lovely Nairobi but it already feels like home. I am surprised the place has grown on me this fast, especially after all the security briefing madness that I had to go through before coming here…but it was all worth it.

And how lucky am I to be here when they announced Obama's win? You really should have seen and felt the amount of joy that consumed this country! It was amazing to be part of it all.

When it comes to Obama's victory, not every Sudanese is happy like Path2Hope or Black Kush though. John Akec is more cautious:

President Clinton in most part had maintained a hand-off approach to Sudan conflict. His Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright once said: “Sudan war is not viable.” During his time, Al Qaeda was founded and fared. His actions in most parts were nothing but knee-jerk reactions such as missile strike of Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum in August 1998 as retaliation to bombing of two US embassies in East Africa that year. That action did nothing to promote the cause of peace and freedom in Sudan but only added fuel to the fire of anti-Americanism without serving any purpose.

With this abysmal Democratic record in view, the author fears that the coming Obama administration will be nothing but Clinton 2, courtesy of Obama.

Lastly, Drima makes a point about “the Muslim and Arab hypocrisy in regards to the Darfur conflict” in the following comic way:

Muslim minority: Hey, there are Muslims getting killed in Darfur.

Muslim majority: Really? By the evil Joooz?

Muslim minority: No, by other Muslims.

Muslim majority: …

It really is amazing how a little bit of anger can do wonders for any writer's block. So I've been home less than a week and already something has happened that made my blood pressure hit the roof. I'm at the medical center to have some tests run and the lab person goes to get a syringe, which was humongous in size - so much so, that I thought I had gone to the vets by mistake but that's not the point.

Anyways, he tells this other woman to re-write my number on one of my samples (mistake number one)…and she looks a bit confused looks at the record book and jots down some number that isn't mine (mistake number two). What really annoyed me is that I was right infront of her, she could have just asked my name instead of going on some guessing spree…a lab is no place to practice one's clairvoyant skills!

… Why is it that we find it so hard to be professional in this country??

Meanwhile, John Akec has another complaint about Southern Sudan:

… In fact, we have been told by a respectful host of philosophers and educationalists that little knowledge is dangerous.

… By the way we conduct our affairs in South Sudan, we clearly display how much we need to seek and find wisdom: be we the ruled or the rulers. Without the exercise of wisdom by all concerned (stakeholders), it is impossible for me to imagine how we are going to survive as autonomous region in united Sudan or an independent sovereign state should we secede in 2011.

The complaints continued. However, this time Drima directed his towards John McCain after watching Palin's foreign policy interview with CBS (Drima is the author of this roundup):

Uh, um, chili is not cold, and I went to the supermarket because light travels from the sun when I yawn and then he disagreed since 1987 beyond Tom Cruise until monkey banana.

Gosh, this is so bad, it’s not even funny.

… Seriously McCain, given your not-so-young age, the least you could have done is pick a more articulate and qualified candidate for vice presidency, you know, just in case God forbid the situation arises.

Speaking of US politics, Kizzie had this question to ask:

9/11, Hurricane Katrina and now Hurricane Ike. Did Bush curse America?

As for Black Kush, he had this to say about America:

When America sneezes . . .

. . . the rest of the world catches a cold.

The current global financial crisis which strated in America will surely bite everyone. The high oil prices have made travel really expensive in Sudan. Paradoxically, it is cheaper to fly to Egypt and back than to Juba from Khartoum one way . . . Add that to the hike in food prices.

The cold is spreading.

Finally, Amjad commented on the attempted banning of YouTube in Kuwait:

A couple of months ago YouTube was officially blocked in Sudan. Today we hear that YouTube is officially blocked in Kuwait. Who's next?

While as of this moment the reason of blocking YouTube in Sudan is unknown, Kuwait has officially declared why it decided to block YouTube in Kuwait, even though the reason might not be valid to everyone. The reason Kuwait provided is that YouTube contains inappropriate videos offending our religion.

… UPDATE: Apparently the ban order has been reconsidered and got canceled for now. YouTube is not blocked in Kuwait.

“Sorry, this page has been blocked by National Telecommunication Corporation.”

Too Huge World, a western aid worker in Sudan took a screen shot of the page and reports this:

In a fatal blow to our already lackluster sources of entertainment, the Sudanese government has blocked access to YouTube, the online video sharing Web site.

Over at The Sudanese Thinker (which is my blog), commenters dropped their thoughts in reaction to my post about YouTube's blocking in Sudan. The comments indicate that the blocking is being implemented by some ISPs and not others.

No Angel on July 26th, 2008 1:03 pm
hey,i wonder how that rumour got started?!
drima i could assure you that youtube is not blocked,im in Sudan,khartoum i read your post typed in youtube.com and surprise surprise ITS WORKING..
so what are you guys going to spread exactly?

Sudan on July 26th, 2008 4:26 pm
Youtube is working fine in Sudan, Drima.

digital on July 26th, 2008 4:44 pm
No Angel, Sudan……
What ISP’s are you on??

Cause on Sudani and Zain mDSL it is currently blocked??

Are you guys are on Sudatel?

Sudan on July 27th, 2008 1:36 pm
Youtube is working on Canar ISP

digital on July 27th, 2008 4:19 pm
Well Canar do have their own cable….

DZA on July 27th, 2008 4:28 pm
yes canar have its own network .. youtube is blocked on NTC networks

At Black Kush's blog, a short but good conversation took place about this issue too. It sheds more light on what's going on.

The Sudanese Thinker reports that Youtube has been blocked in Sudan. Just wanna let you know that I still have access to Youtube, through the Canar ISP. Maybe it has not yet been blocked.

Here is a screen shot.

In response to the post, Amjad shared his opinion on the matter, which prompted a reply from Black Kush.

Amjad said…

This only means/proves that Canar ISP is not regulated by the Sudanese National Telecommunication Corporation, which is a shock to me.

The block as reported was from NTC and not specific ISPs. So supposedly all ISPs regulated by NTC have YouTube blocked and they can't do anything about it. But YouTube being working fine on Canar only means that Canar is not regulated by NTC which I still find hard to believe.

Either ways, I think Canar subscribers are lucky, aren't they?

Black Kush said…

I still don't know how this came about, because other sites are blocked by NTC, showing that famous notice.

Canar users are lucky, for now!

From the above, one can safely assume that those in Sudan using Canar as their ISP have no problem accessing YouTube for now, while those using other ISPs experience the blocking.

Facebook group

In line with what's looking increasingly like a trend, Sudanese flocked to Facebook to voice their concerns in a group dedicated to the matter. The group is called “Unblock Youtube In Sudan Now” and at the time of writing it has 476 members.

Over at the group, numerous members have commented that people shouldn't get too panicked since YouTube can still be easily accessed via proxy software or sub-domains such as uk.YouTube.com

Speculations on the reasons

The reasons behind this block are still vague.

Initially, some bloggers speculated that YouTube had been blocked because it features some indecent, sexual videos of Sudanese girls, but the videos in question had only few views, and are also circulating by mobile phone.

In a press release on AllAfrica.com, The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information say:

YouTube has recently become a key tool for political activists. A number of video clips have been posted with footage of Sudanese security personnel beating and torturing minors, who were arrested and detained following the 10 May armed attack on the capital, Khartoum, by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels. Mass arrests in Khartoum of perceived supporters of the Darfur rebel group followed the attack.

This leaves us with the other possible and more probable reason behind YouTube's blocking in Sudan by the National Telecommunications Corporation.

ZoulcolmX shares his opinion on this.

I think it's just another attempt to suffocate freedom of speech, especially in times like these, with the international court after Omar, they don't want someone with the opposition to [interfere with] the official story about how every Sudanese citizen supports Omar. They don't want us to see the documentaries that have been posted lately about the “ghost houses” created to torture individuals who didn't support the “salvation revolution”, and with the elections coming, they don't want any anti-kizan* campaign, which is something not allowed on local newspapers, and the national TV is on their side 24/7, but YouTube, Facebook, and blogs give a free space for the truth, and this is what THEY fear the most.
This is not a moral issue, it is political. They have always profited from ignorance, and web 2.0 is against ignorance and those fascists really hates it, so I won't be surprised if they blocked Facebook or MySpace next. If they did, we'll have to do more than just creating a group on the web.

… * Kizan is a nickname for the National Islamic Front and the ruling party the National Congress members.

YouTube's blocking in Sudan has captured a good amount of attention which is a good sign indicating that people value the internet. Unfortunately, right now, there are many facts missing but with time, more of them will surface.

Reactions from Sudanese bloggers
Three Sudanese bloggers, Ras Babi, The Sudanese Thinker (disclosure: it's me), and Black Kush, have been among the few that commented on the matter.

Black Kush rolled out a sequence of posts on the issue as it progressed where he wrote the following:

SO Bashir has been indicted by the ICC. So what comes next now?

The ICC prosecutor has taken the boldest step ever. Charging a sitting head of state fo genocide can get him a round of applause,but that is leaving lots of people wary of the future.

So far the armageddon predicted has not happened, yet. No UN staff has been shot in the street and no car-jackings reported in Khartoum. Were the fears groundless?

Not at all. There are lots of people out there in the street who are stupid enough to start anything. It may not be the official response of the government, but some lunatics may take the lawlessness into their hands and rick havoc.

I personally think it was a wrong move on the part of the ICC. Now that he has made his point, I think UN Security Council should suspend the possible arrest warrant from being issued.

Ras Babi, as he usually does, wrote a short poem:

is it true?
the Arabs support you…
is it true?
some Sudanese stand with you….
…
Hitler had his fans
Franco had his fans
it is true…
they have gone
…..
China will sell you
Russia became like you
too bad too trust
….
you brought to us
genocide
janjaweed
Russians and Chinese
polluting our land
stealing our resources

Sudanese Thinker published his analysis and shared two photos he found in a very active Sudanese Facebook group discussing the ICC's decision, which he thought summed up the extremes of Sudanese opinion on the matter rather well -from rational debate to rejecting responsibility and conspiracy theories.

Reactions from Sudanese Facebookers
The aforementioned Facebook group where the most heated discussions are taking place is called:

“معا ضد المحكمة الجنائية الدولية . فلنتحد لنصرة الرئيس عمر البشير” (translation: “Together Against the ICC. Let’s Unite for President Omar al-Bashir’s Victory”)

The group was started by a Sudanese and currently has over 2,700 members, virtually all Sudanese as well. While a sizable number of the members oppose the Sudanese regime, the group clearly leans on the side of condemning the ICC's decision. The following are some random quotes from a thread representing the diverse opinions in the group fairly well.

Gino Mino:

Did people forget that Al-Bashir took power by force, that he executed and murdered countless Sudanese, that under his watch Millions of Sudanese died in warfare and from extreme poverty, that he and his cronies dragged the name of Sudan to the gutter that today it's on every tongue as a terrorist sponsoring nation?

Wake up ya Sudanese… AlBashir is a criminal and it's about time that he is cornered!

Khadega Malik:

He deserves worse than international court. He deserves Allah's Justice. Where he would face soon in his grave
… I am with the international court if it can at least achieve the goal of embarassing him internationally.

Ayman Ayman:

You know nothing…..and u will be the first people to cry…..shut up
… Admin please kick them out

Khadega Malik:

Believe me, you will be the one to CRY, and I will remind you there INSHA ALLAH. Someone like you who is that blind, would be the one to CRY.

Gino Mino:

Why should we be kicked out? We have not used profanity nor have we insulted only one. We have expressed nothing but the truth… why are you so afraid of the truth!?!

… and sorry we will not shut up, I thought AlBashir is implementing democracy now in Sudan, so you are obliged to listen to our point of view :)

Sana Ali:

first of allll ya Gino and Khadega no hard feelings but am replying to this topic with all due respect to both of you guys! stating my opinion…ok? alright….I really am surprised that it came down to this and that the ICC finally found a way to try to get to sudan! I dont' noe about u guys but it almost seems like a plan to take down allllllll muslim countries and not only that but also stop the ones that are somewhat prosporing from moving forward and excelling! its kind of ironic…none the less, al bashir did everything to stand behind sudan and suport it ..he made sudan one of the VERY FEW countries that are not bowing dowing and kissin the feet of the US or the UN

Yassir A.gamma:

Man f*ck u and f*ck ur sick cheap sneaky disloyal thoughts too…

Khaled M. Khaled:

heeeey yasir dont flip out. it ain't worth it.every one has the right to express his own opinion.

Sally Osama:

Its so sad for me to see my fellow Sudanese rip each other off..even if we are against ElBashir political views how can you support US taking over our country??

Sara Ibrahim Haddad:

ok, people are really angering me right now….with all this “AMERICA WILL INVADE”

AMERICA
IS
NOT
AND
WILL
NOT
INVADE
SUDAN

so stop bringing up america because u want someone to blame because u dont want to hold accountable the REAL people to blame!!

Bashier is a devil!! shaytan!!! along with other african corrupted leaders…sudan's image is tarnished globally…..and we have people agreeing with bashier??! are u crazy? OR ARE U JUST SCARED OF HIM?

Moreover, it is a positive sign to see Sudanese flocking to Facebook - not so much the blogosphere - to express their opinions freely and without authoritarian restrictions.

Amjad, who is now currently studying in the United States, blogged about the existence of something called the Sudanese-American Soccer League (SASL). Yes, there's actually one in America.

Colorado (blue) vs. Irving (red & white)
With the number of Sudanese-Americans growing, the Sudanese communities here have decided to create a soccer league for the Sudanese communities all over the United States. There is a good number of Sudanese-Americans in different states in the US, and so it was a good idea for each community in each state to establish its own team and join the Sudanese-American Soccer League (SASL).

Drima blogged about Obama's historic victory with excitement and gave his analysis for why he thinks the next President of the United States will be a Democrat:

We knew this was coming for a while. Win or lose, Obama has achieved the seemingly unachievable

… We’ve still got many months to go and a lot can happen. Potential controversies and campaign management on both sides will of course also be two factors in the final outcome, but at the end of the day, by looking at the midterm election results and the current circumstances, I’d say America is in the mood for a Donkey president.

JohnAkec in Southern Sudan shared his thoughts on a speech he attended by Mr. Pagan Amum, the secretary general of Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM):

In his approximately one hour speech, Pagan Amum did not mince his word but put the responsibility for the Abyei’s carnage squarely at the door of NCP and president Omer Al Bashir: “All these atrocities were committed by the so called People’s Armed Forces which never fired a single bullet against a foreign army since Sudan’s independence in 1956!….President Bashir is responsible for the death and displacement of 100 thousand Abyei citizens 100% ” he told his cheering audience. I agreed with comrade Pagan 100%.

Sudanese Returnee told us that he's still safe and alive after returning to Southern Sudan and being absent from his blog for an extended period of time:

It looks like ages since I last posted anything from Juba, so much that I did not know what to blog about…

First there was the National Census that I so much longed to be part of. I am told the guys came home, but I am not too sure I have been counted.

Then came the SPLM Second National Convention (splmtoday.com) which I believe was historic to the SPLM.

And Khartoum got hit but JEM, Khartoum hit Abyei and SPLM re-elects Kiir as Chairman.

Juba is changing everyday. I promise to send you pics of before and after some time soon.

As for now, just wanted to show the blogsphere that i’m alive.

Rara Avis is still too busy to blog she says:

Since my last malnutritioned post, I have been so preoccupied with my busy academic and friends-full life, that I could only browse and browse and read other peoples' blogs and not updating mine.

Last but not least, allow me to leave you with these pictures of touristic destinations in Port Sudan. Kizzie blogged them:

Yes this post contains some shameless Sudan-promotion, but it's a beautiful country and you should visit Sudan it sometime. Sudan is not exactly on your list of “must visit countries” , but put aside your list for a bit and look at the pictures.

This is not about Sudan, but this is about port Sudan, one of Sudan's most beautiful cities.

It's the perfect place to visit….friendly locals, nice beaches, one of the world's best diving areas, nice hotels and resorts and the city is very tourist-friendly.

Remember, tourism is always good for the locals:)

Let's get started with the release of the Sudanese al-Jazeera journalist Sami al-Hajj from Guantanamo Bay where he was held for six years without trial.

Eman was evidently happy:

إنتو حاسيـــن بالأنا حاسة بيهه؟؟
هل إنتو مبسوطيــــن زيي كدة؟؟؟

She asks “can you feel what I'm feeling?? Are you as happy as I am??”

Drima had this to say about the matter:

I’ve held a very simple position on this matter. Give the man a fair trial, and if he’s found guilty, lock him up behind bars for as long as possible. If he is found innocent, release him as soon as possible. That’s it. Full stop. Is that too much to ask?

Amjad blogged about Sami's release but then removed his post for a vague reason stated below:

I just want to point out that the post of Sami Al-Hajj's interview which I posted 2 nights ago is now removed. The post took another path other than the one it was opened for, and hence I thought it would be best to close it to avoid that path it was not opened for.

We believe that Sami Al-Hajj was released on humanitarian basis and we should all just hope that the entire world lives in peace regardless of race, religion or politics.

Thanks. :)

Daana, just like Eman, was also happy after hearing the news of the release:

Sami al Hajj is free….after 6 years in Guantanamo Bay
I haven't been this happy in a while

And now, let's move on to the news about the attacks on Khartoum, Sudan's capital. Drima blogged a thorough coverage of what happened:

The Darfurian rebel group Justice and Equality Movement mounted a bold attack on Khartoum less than two days ago but was stopped at the outskirts of the city by the Sudanese Armed Forces. It was a big battle involving helicopters and significant aerial bombardment.

… There are very mixed and heated Sudanese sentiments over this daring move with some (mainly the Southern Sudanese and some Darfurians) staunchly supporting it and others against it.

As for me, I strongly condemn the attack. The United States and the UN have condemned it too. I’m glad they’ve made it clear they won’t accept this kind of behavior. It undermines all efforts aimed at implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and finding a political solution for Darfur.

Andrew Heavens, a freelance writer based in Khartoum made a nice list of the possible reasons behind the attack:

1. A bloody PR move to get JEM some headlines
2. Retribution – to bring some of Darfur's suffering to Khartoum
3. Humiliation of Khartoum and exposure of holes in its security system
4. Chad-backed revenge for the two Khartoum-backed rebel raids on N'Djamena
5. The move of a mad, power-hungry warlord
6. A move to break the stalemate in the Darfur peace process AKA Operation Longarm
7. Distraction while JEM prepares for an offensive on El Geneina
8. A genuine coup attempt
9. The first stages of a coup attempt to test for support among army and opposition
10. Creating chaos in the capital leading to the breakdown of the state

Kizzie demanded that the government steps down!

The rebels are in the capital. Yes, innocent civilians are going to die and destroying the capital is not going to help the crises in Darfur in anyway, but it was going to happen…sooner or later.

What to do?
We need a transitional government right now, Bashir needs to STEP DOWN!
Hand over the power to a transitional government for the next year, until the 2009 elections.

If the government doesn't take this seriously and implement the darfur peace agreement, the whole country is going to collapse.

If the concerned international community cares about Sudan, they should pressure the government to step down.

She also posted the following pictures of the aftermath of the attack:

Meanwhile, JohnAkec published a long post about peace in South Sudan.

Drima is ecstatic about a new book by the Sudanese Muslim scholar Abdullahi An-Na'im whom Irshad Manji hosted as a guest recently at her latest initiative, the Moral Courage Project. An-Na'im's book is called “Islam and the Secular State” and here's what Drima had to say:

… from what I’ve read so far I know it will be super juicy.

These are some of the ideas Abdullahi presents in it:

* “I do believe that it is possible, indeed necessary, to reinterpret Islamic sources in order to affirm and protect freedom of religion and belief. This is my position as a Muslim, speaking from an Islamic perspective, and not simply because freedom of religion and belief is a universal human rights norm…”

* “The possibility of belief in anything logically requires choice in the matter, as one cannot believe in anything without the freedom and ability to disbelieve it.”

I don’t know about you but this certainly excites me - a book full of concrete Islamic arguments challenging the current Islamist status-quo of the Muslim world.

Amjad, a Sudanese student in Texas is impressed by the strict enforcement of rules on his university campus:

Our university police department is very strict regarding the speed limit on campus and parking at places you are not permitted to park at.

… I saw this car in front of my dorm with a locked wheel and a notice from the police department stuck in the window warning the owner of the car NOT to attempt to move his car

… Now this is really harsh but still great.

He's also amused by vending machines selling iPods.

On a totally random note, Zoulcolm X posted pictures of a Nubian pyramid in Northern Sudan and the burial place of a famous Sudanese Muslim religious leader. He seems to imply a relationship between the two photos:

Can you see?

Pyramids of The Royal City of Meroe (North Sudan) - Period: “Zaman lil deen” (too freakin old)

“Maqam” of Shikh Kabashy (Shrine) - A Sudanese Sufi Sheikh

what do you see?

And now for the bad news and worried sentiments.

Sudanese Returnee explains the dangerous situation eloquently:

Abyei, that oil rich region in the North-South border, is arguably one of the most sticky issues that threatens the CPA and could possibly draw the country back to the cycles of war!

Today, Northern troops entered Abyei after the NCP expressed their objection to the appointment of an SPLM Administrator for Abyei.

… Recently, SPLA soldiers were reportedly attacked by heavily armed Misseriya gunmen and fingers are being pointed at the NCP in Khartoum for arming them. Now the northern army is building up in Abyei and who knows what will happen tomorrow!

In case you're wondering, the Misseriya are a nomadic tribe regarded as ‘Arabs' by Southern Sudanese. As for the potentially deadly situation, Kizzie has an idea:

Dear government of Sudan and SPLM,

If you are planning to start another bloody civil war, evacuate a few villages and kill each other there.

Meanwhile John Akec isn't happy over Southern Sudan's seeming trend towards what he refers to as ‘assassination politics':

A well known South Sudanese secondary school teacher from Greater Bhar El Ghazal by name Mathon Mathon often said under Abakr Tree (The Wau's answer for London's Trafalgar Square):

“When a war breaks out in a county, it is not the earth that gets destroyed but people's morals.” In the South Sudan's war against the North, they did.

… Now, how far would you expect our morals to sink. All that because of our lust for power and feeling of extreme insecurity once in power. And a manner akin to King David of old, many of our leaders commit the sin and then murder to cover it up. Assassination is a virus once it infects, it spread like a wild fire and. Once started, it is hard to be stopped.

We now end this round up with another lovely short poem by Ras Babi:

she keeps her eyes down and whispers to me:
ras babi…
ras babi…
do you see this dressed in green and red man?
I feel her shaking from the in
I hold her hand in mine
she explodes crying
and crying
This man raped me with others
he killed my child
cut the head of my tent
that man is a devil son
do not buy their news
do something
tell the world

The Definition of a Blogger… or to be more specific, a political blogger, especially in our super democratic part of the world.

Speaking of blogging, Sudanese Returnee has finally returned to it after his three months long absence. He talks about an interesting experience he had centered on killing positive ideas:

… I was dumbfounded to listen all that negativity! Maybe the new returnee was even more shocked than I was. He did not say much after that. The rest just went on with listing all classic excuses of the impossible, killing this new returnee’s positive ideas in the process.

When I sat in a bar some hours later downing some cold Henieken, I discussed with another older returnee and I came to believe that I was like that new returnee not too long ago. In Juba, or Sudan in general, you see things that you know can be improved. Most of the time you know how to improve the situation because you have seen it somewhere else. You’d want to help every begger in the street, ask every kid in the street why they are not going to school, give a lift to every sick person dragging themselve to the hospital, buy medicine for that mother who can not avoid and so on. Life can be very complicated!

In Juba, some people would think you are mad if you keep sharing positive ideas.

I still have to meet and talk to the new returnee and share notes. I will do want I can to help this sister, but I have also come to learn that there are those who want to be helped, and others who have given up.

Sudanese Returnee also shared his observations on Juba just as Drima, The Sudanese Thinker expressed his on calls by the president of Sudan to boycott anything Danish in response to the republication of the Muhammad cartoons.

Amjad, a Sudanese studying in Texas, was amused by a phone call he received from Obama urging him to vote even though he is not a US citizen:

I have never thought that I would really one day blog about the American presidential elections, until last Thursday Tuesday when I got that call from Barack Obama. After that call, I started listening to his speeches on his YouTube channel, and the video above is the speech he gave the other day at Texas primaries, here in San Antonio, TX. I don't know but I just started admiring him…

I heard that he was supposed to come here to my city but for some reason he didn't. I guess the only cities in Texas he was recently at are Houston, San Antonio, Beaumont and Dallas. (not sure about the latter). A few weeks ago we had Bill Clinton here, though. If Barack Obama ever came here I would love to take a picture with him…

Meanwhile Kizzie took time to write a passionate open letter to Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir:

Dear Mr. President.

I really can't tolerate your government any longer. It's a criminal regime in every single way.
For the last 19 years, you've tortured, killed, looted, traumatized and you've failed to stabilize the country.

… We don't trust you Mr. President. You've failed us too many times. You've dishonored too many “peace” agreements.

I don't feel safe in my own country anymore.

Millions are living like refugees in their own country.

If we complain, you prosecute us.

We've been silent for 19 years.

Now, it is time to speak. It's time for you and the world to hear our voices.

… We don't like your violent ways. Remember what you did in Nuba mountains, remember the Jihad in the South, remember Darfur, remember the ghost houses in Khartoum, remember the soldiers buried alive in 1990- no, they were not planning a coup, remember the mothers complaining about their 15 year old sons being forced to fight a war they don't believe in.

A war we never understood.

You've had your cake, you've licked the plate and you've broke the plate…now keep your shattered plate, we are buying a new one.

Jah Guide, also known as ras babi babiker, like previously, posted a short political poem about the Sudanese regime:

blood in their hands
For Darfur
blood in their hands and money in their pockets
they are selling our future
the mark of devil is on their heads
this is my black list
brothers and sisters
vote for it.

On the other hand, blogs written in Arabic have mushroomed at another corner of this vast online space. They’re just as important as those written in English (maybe even more important) and they’re explicitly leveraging the power of the internet to practice their right to free expression.

Sudanese Bloggers is an official community of Sudanese bloggers writing in Arabic. Amna is a member. She is a human rights activist and has a brave post translated by a friend of hers from Arabic to English about how she was sexually harassed by a journalist at a pro-government newspaper:

Then He asked me if I wanted to work with him and I told him that was what I wanted.

… He then, and in an unrespectable manners, went on mentioning that everything has its price while at the same time placing his hand on my knee.

… He jumped at me and tried to pull me towards the bench by the wall while murmuring with dirty comments. At this moment, even his looks changed and he became like a real monster. As I was resisting him, I told him I would scream loud and ask for help. But he laughed and told me to do whatever I wanted and that no body would come for my rescue.

Overwhelmed by fear, I slapped him very hard on his face using my hand. Surprisingly, he let go of me and I ran for my safety passing by the secretary and few others who seemed were not interested to notice anything unusual.

One blog in Arabic called Un-Masking Islam is vehemently anti-Islamist. Imad on the other hand chose the slogan of the Muslim brotherhood, “Islam is the solution,” for his blog. Both are members of Sudanese Bloggers. Even Black Gay Arab is.

As the Sudanese blogosphere continues to expand, bloggers discuss a variety of topics. Amjad is now getting settled in his university in Texas after leaving Oman. He had a few things to say about the color red:

While Saudi Arabia is banning all red items from sale until after February the 14th (Valentine's Day), everything in our university is turning into red because of this so-called Valentine's Day…

AK commented on Spielberg's withdrawal from his artistic role in the Beijing 2008 Olympics to protest what is happening in Darfur:

Someone is going to get mad and I think it's going to be China! I've heard speculations about this for months now, and Spielberg has been under a lot of pressure from various groups (Save Darfur, et. al.) to take this move. Obviously Beijing is going to try to play this down, but they will be furious.

… I can't wait to here the smart things Khartoum will have to say about this.

Drima (who is writing a book about blogging and freedom of expression in the Muslim world) was amused by Spielberg's news:

Ahahahahaha! It’s true!

… Like I said, the coming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are already too tainted. Seriously, let’s move the games to Taiwan.

Kizzie on the other hand however had a different opinion:

Spielberg, are you scared of George Clooney not acting in your movies again or what? Did Hollywood pressure you into doing it? well, bravo. Instead of reading about Darfur and using your brain, you did the dumbest thing ever!

And as usual Jah Guide drops his poetry:

God runs in me
God in the river and in the sea
someone like you Rumi
Sufi
beautiful
I see Rumi
just like that
love you
I see

Drima, The Sudanese Thinker found it unbelievable:

The whole thing is just so unbelievably pathetic. Clearly it’s an honest and innocent mistake. Oh no, how stupid can I be, she’s a white British infidel so it must be a freaking Zionist CrUSAde and Jewish conspiracy. Right? Raaaight!

… This isn’t the first time the school finds itself in the midst of a controversy, albeit one surely not as big as this. Back in the 90’s when beloved al-Turabi was still in power and his version of Sharia was being shoved down our throats, the school came under pressure to change the girl’s uniform. Many Islamists hated the fact that girls wore skirts and mixed with boys. Now we have this.

Amjad was equally critical and shocked at what he called “stupid”:

Three words: This is ridiculous.

How on earth would a British teacher know that naming the teddy bear Mohammed would insult our prophet, especially that 20 out of the 23 children CHOSE to name the teddy bear Mohammed and she wasn't the one naming it?

Why are they assuming that the teddy bear was named after our prophet (PBUH)?

This is really stupid! And they closed down the school till January just because of this! oh my god.. I really can't believe this.

Kizzie, Wholeheartedly-Sudaniya clearly wasn't happy:

WHAT?!

A British schoolteacher has been arrested in Sudan accused of insulting Islam's Prophet, after she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Muhammad.

The police force doesn't have anything to go except arresting 54 year-old kind Gibbons!

Black Kush wasn't pleased either and wished the British teacher well:

Go well, Mrs Gibbons. I hope you dont bear grudges against the Sudanese people. The ragtag group into whose hands you fell are a minority and does not represent us at all. I wish you well.

Rara Avis offered her thoughts too and on a none related note, Sudanese blogger Path2Hope is now studying in the United Kingdom:

I must admit that no matter how much I abhor words like “deadline” and “assignments” there is something really refreshing about going back to student life. The solidarity that you feel with your classmates/colleagues transcends age and race and that’s truly something.

Amjad seems happy too but for a different reason:

This morning I went to my interview at the American Embassy in Muscat for my student visa application. Have I mentioned that my final decision is to go for Texas Tech University? I got admitted to Texas Tech al-hamdulillah to a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering program.

… I gathered my documents & everything then went to the interview. It went very well al-hamdullah and everything was smooth.

He blogged about a new documentary on Darfur:

The documentary, Darfur Now, has been released yesterday, November the 2nd, on a limited release. I just hope I can get a copy to watch as soon as possible. I guess it's a good documentary to show those people who don't know about Darfur's issue, to show them & aware them of what is really happening in Darfur.

Daana, contemplated the idea of using clean and renewable energy to power Sudan:

 

Sudan is suffering widely from under-development and most areas of Sudan do not have access to basic services, let alone energy or power. Is it possible that we could convert to the use of alternative energy sources that we are so abundantly blessed with? After all we have plenty of water that is not being utilized, the sun shines all over the country almost all year long, and wind energy is easily produced.

Kizzie, Wholeheartedly-Sudaniya blogged about a Sudanese novelist:

I just heard about “Travelling with Djinns”, a book written by Jamal Mahjoub. Mahjoub was born in London to an English mother and a Sudanese father. He was brought up in London and Khartoum.

Dr. Konyokonyo tells us about a new annoying menace facing Southern Sudan:

Anyone who steps into Juba will definitely notice that there are as many motor cycles as there are people! It is utterly unbelievable.

Long time back, motor cycles are very few. Post CPA there is a flock of imports, especially new model call Senke. The bad side is that it is the young people, barely ten or or years who cruse around town in them. And there are the accidents.

Doctors know long time back that when the mangoes are in season, many children will be admitted to hospital with mango fractures, sustained due to a fall from a mango tree.

Now the trend is in the senke. They almost make accidents every single day. One time, they were really piled up at the traffic police station. What a menace! These young people also drove them while intoxicated.

Senke has become a health hazard.

For ages, I never knew the reason why I always thought I’d die young. In Juba, people talk about tragedy and death may be more often than Europeans talk about the weather.

… Just after 2 days in Juba, something happened that stunned me. I was seated with some friends at home under the night sky.

… then an loud screams of what sounded like pain, confusion or freight.

… It was an accident… His head was totally deformed… it looked like he died instantly when he was hit by whatever hit him. Then I heard someone say there was another fatality.

… He clearly looked dead, but some people would still kneel down to feel his pulse and without any emotion announce “aaah, de intaaha!” (this one is finished!)

… They were brothers from the same mother!

… The crowd slowly dissolved into the night… for most of them, it was just another day in Juba. For the mother and me, this day we shall never forget.

SudaneseReturnee was also feeling ill. He tried looking for Dr. Konyokonyo but couldn’t find him in his clinic. Maybe that’s because Dr. Konyokonyo was busy blogging a post on prioritizing health issues in Southern Sudan:

How do you chose which problems to tackle first? When the GOSS [Government of South Sudan] came on, they promise quick fixes for lots of things like building hospitals, clinics and health centers where none existed before. Old hospitals will be rehabilitated. Health surveys were done in all the states. What happend next?

It is unfortunate that many of the promises have fallen down the drain… We need priorities in health.

Drima, The Sudanese Thinker blogged about how a child was used for a failed assassination attempt:

Eyewitnesses said that an unknown man in the audience handed an explosive device to a child and asked to proceed to the podium where Kodi was present. However the device exploded before the child made it to the podium

He also posted this picture of Omar al-Bashir's recent visit to Italy in which he met the Pope!!

Little.Miss.Dalu expressed her thoughts on FGM as sexual violence:

I titled this entry “FGM as Sexual Violence” because I believe female genital mutilation is an act of violence against a woman's sexuality. The act objectifies her, her body is defiled and her sexuality is violated (silenced, removed, seen as unimportant). Her body an object set up for the pleasures of another (her husband). It's about control, put under the guise of “protection of purity.”

Wholeheartedly-Sudaniya asked the question “Darfur: who wants peace?”

… A rebel attack that killed at least 10 peacekeepers at an African Union army base in Sudan's Darfur region has sparked international condemnation.

(source)

I wonder what Darfurians have to say about this ” here we go again….the selfish idiots want to stop the peace at any cost..”

The Sudanese American commented on Khartoum’s recent crackdown on the SPLM:

This is the kind of things that makes efforts to keep Sudan a unified country more difficult. It sends the wrong message, not only to Southern Sudanese, but also to the Northerners. With national parliamentary elections coming up in two years, hopes that the “unity government” would pave the way for democratic change, and the ruling National Congress party would accept election results, are now in doubt.

Last but not least, allow me to end this round up of the Sudanese blogosphere in a symbolic manner by bringing you Path2hope’s post entitled “New beginnings”:

I’ve arrived in England and I’m happy to say that the weather did not disappoint, it was grey and windy with a bit of showers just like I expected.

… Tomorrow I take a train and head off to the university, Lord knows what I expect to find but I’m hoping for the best:) wish me luck!

While there are certainly positive things happening in Sudan, there are far too many negatives taking place. We Sudanese need a new beginning.

We were in America and a famous Jewish-American human rights activist/writer/professor invited us for lunch. We talked and talked about the middle east/Islam/immigration/human rights issues and when my professor suggested they ask me something about Africa because I'm from there and I know alot about my beloved continent. This is what she told me ” Does anything good ever happen there?”. I can't describe how I felt at the time because its too complicated. I'm not sure if I felt angry or sad. I think I felt both. I also felt her Afro-pessimism rub on me. I felt it clinging to my skin and as I tried reminding myself of the good things in my continent .I still couldn't recover to my old-self.

… Africa is not darfur,rwanda, dictatorships,underdevelopment or even AIDS.

Speaking of Darfur, Black Kush blogged about another round of peace talks aimed at halting the tragic conflict:

What had exactly been agreed in the meetings remain to be seen. Which of the rebel movements are attending? How about SLM leader Abdel Wahid el Nur?

He also posted the following cartoon:

Little.Miss.Dalu, a Sudanese in America, wrote two interesting posts, the first about racism among Sudanese, and the second about her identity as a Sudanese American.

On the issue of racism:

I'm going to be absolutely honest here, even though it's not going to be fun to hear. Or rather read. But, generally speaking, Sudanese folks are very ethnocentric

… I had some Arab Sudanese friends and we clashed a lot when it came to religion and race, which in retrospective is really ridiculous because we were just kids! Now I know our clashes and the shit we said to each other were things handed down to us from our parents. I once beat the hell out of a kid because he used the term abeed/abid [slave] on me, and another time slapped a girl, who I was friends with by the way, because she said my skin color was like zift (tar).

… We are ALL SUDANESE DAMMIT.

On the issue of her identity as a Sudanese American:

… I consider myself Sudanese foremost, but to my relatives home, who I don't even know but force myself to speak to occasionally, I am all American. To Americans here, I'm that Sudanese girl. For me it's both and sometimes neither (that's where the whole citizen of the world hippie shit comes in).

Drima, of The Sudanese Thinker authored a revealing article entitled “Khartoum, a City of Sharp Contrasts” about the alcohol and drug-fueled, wild parties that happen behind closed doors in the capital of Sudan.

SudaneseReturnee is happy, yet nervous to be returning home to Juba.

And from Juba itself, Doctor Konyokonyo has a post about AIDS in South Sudan:

The down side is always that apathy sets in and many young people just shrag it off as just another disease too. But is it? Long time ago in the mid 80s, it is considered a disease of Congolese in Sudan, mainly prostitutes etc. Only those who visit these places get it. It is a sad fact which is still the case in South Sudan.

The Abstinence is impossible in the young, the Being faithful hard for the married, and the Condom? It is not always available! Well, there are those who think it takes the “sweetness” out of the sex!

Zoulcolm X is angry at the mistreatment of Sudanese in Egypt:

The news about egyptian soldiers shooting sudanese refugees while trying to cross the borders to Israel really pissed me off. cuz during the last year hundereds of egyptians arrived to work in Khartoum, they took over small jobs like construction and resturants services..those workers are not put in ghettoes, they are treted well, in simple words, they are having a good life.

… sudanese immigrants in Cairo streets suffer something more than getting shot to death at the borders, or kicked by egyptian police force, or facing stupid egyptians racism. they are also killing each other yub, blieve it or not, sudanese immigrants started forming their own gangs in the streets of Cairo.

… but why is that happenin? why we don't have egyptian gangstaz here in Khartoum? is it because they're not black? they came here and took our jobs and they having a good time, but my people go to egypt and be treated like shit and die for nothing.

Path2Hope on the other hand is feeling sad due to the loss of a person she knew who died as a result of the incompetence of the medical profession in Sudan:

The extortionist, sorry I meant doctor examines her after she has paid the required fee for his “services.”

… the genius comes to a conclusion, “she has suffered a stroke”.

… They arrived a few days later in Jordan, where the doctors proceeded to give them one shock after the other. The good news was that she never had a stroke but the effect of the medication on her aging body had done measurable damage but there was hope – there always is. After all, she only had a lack in calcium.

… It’s been almost a month since she passed away, her body couldn’t handle the effects of the wrong medicine. Ina lil-lah wa ina ilehi raje’oun (we belong to Allah and to HIM we shall return).

There is however something cheering Path2Hope up :

Walking around the neighborhood I detect the strong scent of “hilu-mur’ (Sudanese juice) and every house I enter people are hanging out their “shermoot” to dry (meat that is later dried and grinded to add to food) all these are tiny reminders that Ramadan is just around the corner. I’ve always loved Ramadan, there is something truly magical about this month especially if you happen to find yourself in a Muslim country.