SUDAN...SUDAN...OH! THERE IT IS, FILED UNDER "S" FOR SKETCHY

Sudanese reconciliation seems to be a step in the right direction. We'll see.

On Saturday, one of the largest opposition groups in the Sudan has signed a reconciliation agreement with the Sudanese government. What is hoped to be accomplished is an end to a brutal, bloody 16-year conflict and an end to the Darfur problem. The body count is at 2 million and rising. All human interests aside, this region has been in conflict for about 21 years now. Basically, the North represents the Muslim population. In the South, you have the rebels who are mostly Christians and animists.

Here is what I find a bit confusing: the Sudanese president, Omar el-Bashir, may end up being bed-buddies with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. How this is going to be a problem that is solved with this accord is beyond me. You may also remember Anwar Sadat, who was murdered by Muslim extremists back in 1981. Well, his nephew, Talaat Sadat is running against the incumbent Mubarak. Sadat claims that Mubarak has ruined his uncle's legacy. Apparently not sharing his uncle's vision of peace with Israel, Talaat claims: "If I am elected ... never will an Israeli tank come right up to our border and shoot down our sons".

This has all the earmarks of a bad situation. Perhaps James can dry his eyes, dust off his How to Make Dictators Your Allies and Broker Useless Deals handbook and come up with another Nobel Prize.
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