: Some Hopeful Signs, But Sudan Isn’t Out of Trouble Yet

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Sudan, one of the most populous African nations with a history of famine and internal violence, may soon be emerging from its troubled past. President Bush remarked last week the United States is committed to helping Sudan achieve a peaceful end to its 19-year civil war. He redeployed US envoy to Sudan John Danforth, a former US senator who remains optimistic about the chances for peace in the near future. In addition, the US thanked Sudan in its latest “Patterns of Global Terrorism” report for helping reduce terrorism, although Sudan was not removed from the list of countries the US charges with supporting terror. Opposition leaders are hopeful for political reform as well. “This regime came to power as a quasi-Taliban, but I think it is now no longer so,” remarked opposition leader and former prime minister Sadeq al-Mahdi. However, Sudan isn’t out of the desert yet. A food crisis in southern Sudan threatens millions, and the problem of abduction and slavery continues, although the central government’s role in it remains in dispute. A hopeful sign: a prototype monitoring project in the Nuba region has brought a degree of peace and may be extended to other parts of the war-torn areas.

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.