Posted on 08/02/2005 10:32:58 AM PDT by Pikamax
Violent Mobs Surge Through Sudan Capital By TANALEE SMITH, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 48 minutes ago
Violent mobs surged again into the streets of Sudan's capital Tuesday, a day after 36 people died in riots sparked by the death of Sudanese vice president and former southern rebel leader John Garang.
The initial violence Monday was blamed on Garang supporters from the Christian and animist south who blamed his death in a helicopter crash on Sudan's Muslim-dominated government, but both northerners and southerners reportedly staged attacks Tuesday after a quiet morning.
Arab gangs invaded some neighborhoods heavily populated by southerners on the outskirts of Khartoum and attacked people in the streets and raided homes, said William Ezekiel, managing editor of the Khartoum Monitor. He said some people had been shot to death.
"The Arabs are attacking them, entering their houses and looking for southerners," said Ezekiel, whose newspaper focuses largely on southern issues.
"It's a reaction to the reaction from yesterday: `Where is the government? Where are the police?'" he said.
A senior U.N. official in Khartoum said angry southerners from camps outside the capital for people displaced by the long war in southern Sudan attacked the Omdurman area. He said a Muslim imam had been slain.
"The situation is turning religious and that will be even more dangerous," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to journalists.
The reports of deaths Tuesday could not be independently confirmed. Officials said Monday's riots resulted in 36 people being killed and about 300 injured.
The government renewed the 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew first imposed Monday night, and by midafternoon downtown streets were nearly empty. An occasional siren could be heard.
After Monday's rampage, the government and Garang's own Sudan People's Liberation Movement said his death was an accident and dismissed talk of a plot as they sought to keep alive the fragile north-south peace deal Garang championed.
President Bush said Monday that the United States remained committed to the peace process in Sudan and urged its people to refrain from violence, describing Garang as a "visionary leader and peacemaker."
Two senior State Department officials were heading for Sudan to tell leaders in Khartoum and southern Sudan the peace process must proceed.
Garang and 13 other people died Saturday when a helicopter crashed into a mountain in southern Sudan in bad weather.
Garang, from southern Sudan, became the country's first vice president last month as part of the U.S.-backed peace deal that ended a two-decade-long civil war between his rebel force and the army of Sudan's Islamic-oriented government based in Khartoum.
The charismatic Garang was hailed for helping seal the peace deal, particularly across southern Sudan and among the several million southern refugees living in Khartoum, many of whom took part in Monday's violence.
Three days of national mourning were declared following his death, but it was not immediately clear when or where his funeral will be held.
The SPLM named Garang's longtime deputy, Salva Kiir Mayardit, to succeed him as head of the movement and president of south Sudan. Kiir will also likely be Sudan's first vice president, according to the January peace agreement that says the SPLM leader will hold that position, said Kenyan Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo, a mediator in the peace talks.
Garang was the dominant voice of the south since 1983. A colonel in Sudan's army, he was sent there to quell a rebellion but deserted to form his own rebel movement in the region's fight for a share of wealth and political power. More than 2 million people died in the conflict.
The peace deal and Garang's ascension to the national unity government were signs of hope for others who feel marginalized in Sudan. Many in the east and west, including in Darfur, who are fighting their own battles with Khartoum, considered Garang an advocate.
___
Oh ... it's Christains being killed? don't expect any help, no one cares if it's Christains being killed.
*sigh*
My question I asked a few days is answered--the question: Will Sudan become another Rwanda? Yep!
Are they all nuts?
Hollyweird loves it. Hotel Sudan, coming to a theater near you.
ping
Too late. It passed Rwanda a long time ago.
"More than 2 million people died in the conflict."
I leave it to you to guess which side did the killing and which side did the dying.
..................
Not a bad idea, though the Arabs and Euros (Germany excepted) will be screaming. After all, Arabs need access to the people they want to kill.
No, they know exactly what they're doing, and that they'll get away with it.
Another opportunity for the UN to step back and let hundreds of thousands of people (maybe millions) die.
But, heh, they’re Christians so it doesn't matter…
Where is the MSM on this ?
My President insists that Islam is a religion of peace so I'm obviously confused as to why these peaceful folks are fighting everybody everywhere.
I've read in the european and arab press that Israel and Germany caused the problem. If it weren't for arms and training, the Arabs could have killed those Christians long ago.
They'll take pass, thank you. The accomodations in Khartoum aren't up to their standards.
Same scenario for Nigeria.
ummm...the Jehovah Witnesses?
Yeah, the Arabs love to kill,and the Europeans never tire of seeing Africans die.
Yeah, the Arabs love to kill,and the Europeans never tire of seeing Africans die.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.