Africans Debate Wisdom of Expected Secession of Southern Sud

For some Africans, southern Sudan's expected independence is a cautionary tale; others see it as a pathway for their regions to gain full sovereignty.
According to Bloomberg News, Somaliland's foreign minister, Mohamed Omar, says his government plans to take a "more aggressive policy toward the African Union in its efforts to gain international recognition from Somalia."
Somaliland declared its independence 20 years ago and since then the south has been engulfed¹ in anarchy² and civil war.Nigeria
Some compare Sudan to Nigeria, with its tensions between Muslim and Christians⁴ and between ethnic⁵ groups. In 1967, Nigeria defeated Biafran separatists fighting for an independent state for the Ibo ethnic group in the east.
Recently, the president of the Nigeria Civil Rights Congress, Shehu Sani, called Sudan "a reference point for division and secession."
"What's happening in Sudan is raising a lot of fears, especially in Nigeria, which is a colonial creation," said Sani in an article in the Guardian⁶ paper of Great Britain. "It was thought the defeat of Biafra had made division impossible, but Sudan is rekindling⁷ the thought."
An editorial in Nigeria's Guardian newspaper warns, "[Sudan] may provoke unwarranted secessionist tendencies across the continent" and serve as a wake-up call "to African leaders and authorities, including Nigeria, that the failure of governance has its price, including [national disintegration]."
Other Nigerians disagree.
Sully Abu is the director of media and publicity⁹ for the election campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan. Abu is also the publisher of the now-suspended New Age newspaper.
He says Nigerians do not see themselves as divided by a largely Muslim north and Christian³ south, which he says is an assumption of many foreigners.
"Here there is such complexity¹⁰ in tribes, regions and religion," he says, "that you don't find such neat demarcations as talk of a Muslim north or Christian south. The country is much more divided into states. People are more concerned about their particular localities rather than any big regional divides."
Abu says people may want more local or regional autonomy, but they prefer to keep the country together.
Yemen and Iraq
The call for separation is also echoed throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Algeria's foreign minister predicted "fatal repercussions¹¹" for Africa. Chad's president, Idriss Deby, warned of a domino effect – and "disaster" -- if countries with north-south tensions, like his own, follow Sudan's lead.
Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi compares Sudan's split to a "contagious¹² disease" that could be "the beginning of the crack in Africa's map."
Analyst¹³ J. Peter Pham sees irony¹⁴ in Libya's concerns. Pham is the senior vice¹⁵ president of the New York-based think tank the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.
"Historically, Gadhafi and Libya have been one of the biggest supporters of secessionist movements in Sudan," says Pham. "For many years, the [Sudan People's Liberation Army] and some Darfur rebel groups received support from Gadhafi. So [having helped them over the years], the colonel is relatively¹⁶ new to his anti-secessionism.
"At same time Libya is [opposing secession], Libyan sovereign wealth funds are actually seeking investments in southern Sudan, so they are playing both sides against the center."
Larbi Sadiki teaches in Britain at the University of Exeter's Department of Politics. He says separatists are active in Yemen and in Iraq.
"The south of Yemen," says Sadiki, "is a place that until 1990 was a different state altogether, with a separate ideology¹⁷, the emblems¹⁸ of a state -- and was an international actor in its own right. Of late, we've seen renewed yearnings for recreating that state. So, it's in the offing. The centralized [state] does not command a following in the south or from others [in other parts of the country.]"
"For secession, the best candidate [in the Arab world] would be northern Iraq, Kurdistan. It approximates a quasi state, though without international recognition, and without demarcated and recognized borders. But, you have in place an entity¹⁹ working toward statehood. And, there are people with an aspiration²⁰ to upgrade their autonomy into full-fledged [nationhood]."
Analysts²¹ say there are plenty of areas in the Middle East and Africa that have had separatist movements, including the regions of Casamance in Senegal, Cabinda in Angola, Zanzibar in Tanzania and the disputed territory bordering Morocco, Western Sahara.
But, it's not clear that any of these regions have the potential to actually separate.
International backing
Jon Temin is a senior program officer at the Center for Mediation²² and Conflict Resolution at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
He says Sudan and Eritrea have what many states with separatist movements lack -- a long history of fighting for independence. Eritrea separated from Ethiopia in 1993. It had fought for independence for about 30 years. Separatists in Sudan fought for 50 years.
Analyst Jon Temin says both Eritrea and Southern Sudan had bloody²³ and decades long wars for independence
"Almost no country in Africa has the history of brutal²⁴ civil war that Sudan does," says Temin. "They fought two civil wars that were among the longest in Africa that resulted in more than two million deaths. While other secessionist movements have certainly mounted significant armed resistance, nowhere else on the continent do we have this extremely bloody history that is important in recognizing the right to self- determination for the south."
Temin says southern Sudan had something else most other liberation movements do not have -- extensive international support. A number of governments, including the United States, helped mediate²⁵ the process of creating Sudan's five-year-old blueprint²⁶ for power sharing and potential separation, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
He says today the only other region in Africa to enjoy significant international support for its liberation struggle is Western Sahara, where the Polisario Front has been fighting for independence from Morocco. The United Nations granted the group official recognition 31 years ago.
Regional security
Analyst J. Peter Pham opposes recognition of Western Sahara. He says the international community should not recognize any secessionist movement that cannot stand on its own. He says Western Sahara has little more than 100,000 people and lacks natural and financial resources.
Western Sahara separatists enjoy a degree of international support, but some question if it can stand alone, or contribute to regional security
Pham says a country must also contribute to regional security, which he says Western Sahara does not do. For example, he says there's a "lack of freedom" in the refugee camps in Algeria run by the separatist Polisario Front. He says some of the Polisario's members are also involved in terrorist and criminal activities.
In addition, he says the Polisario Front has played a role in keeping two regional powers, Morocco and Algeria, from cooperating on counterterrorism and other issues. Pham also says an independent Western Sahara would likely prove to be a "failed state," where the lack of governance would result in a safe haven²⁸ for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other radical²⁹ groups.
Somaliland
One region that does meet Pham's criteria³⁰ is Somaliland, which declared its independence from Somalia in 1991. It has fully³¹ recognized offices in South Africa, Ethiopia and Ghana.
Somaliland leaders say they're inspired by secession of Southern Sudan
"[With] Somaliland," says Pham, "you have a state that is clearly viable³². It's proven it by its 20 years existence. And, it adds to regional stability and security, keeping piracy³³ away from its shores and helping³⁴ (neighboring, landlocked) Ethiopia have access to [Somaliland's port Berbera] for imports/exports.... It is actually a bulwark³⁵ against extremism in the region."
Ivory Coast
He also says northern Ivory Coast shares trade and cultural patterns with countries to the north, giving it more in common with them than with the southern part of the country, which produces nearly all of Ivory Coast's cocoa.
In much the same way, he says southern Sudan is closely linked geographically³⁶ and economically to Kenya and Uganda. And he says the eastern region of DRC has more in common with its neighbors in East Africa than with the capital, Kinshasa, in the west.
Pham says European states have shown that power can be decentralized to smaller regions -- like Catalonia in Spain and Scotland in Britain. This, even as market forces push for greater integration⁸.
Dr. Larbi Sadiki of the University of Exeter says many Arab and other governments do not favor decentralization. Instead, they use force to impose unity²⁷. He says that would not be necessary if they adopted legal safeguards to protect minorities so they would not feel they had to secede³⁷ in order to protect themselves.

1 engulfed   

v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was engulfed by a crowd of reporters. 他被一群记者团团围住。
• The little boat was engulfed by the waves. 小船被波浪吞没了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 anarchy   

n.无政府状态；社会秩序混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• There would be anarchy if we had no police.要是没有警察，社会就会无法无天。
• The country was thrown into a state of anarchy.这国家那时一下子陷入无政府状态。

3 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

4 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

5 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

6 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

7 rekindling   

v.使再燃( rekindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• There might be a rekindling of the kind of nationalistic fervour of yesteryear. 过去的国家主义狂热可能再次被点燃。 来自互联网
• Bryant and O'Neal on the floor at the same time, rekindling memories both good and bad. 科比和奥尼尔在地板上在同一时间，死灰复燃的回忆有好有坏。 来自互联网

8 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

9 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

10 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

11 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

13 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

14 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

15 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

16 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

17 ideology   

n.意识形态，(政治或社会的)思想意识

参考例句：

• The ideology has great influence in the world.这种思想体系在世界上有很大的影响。
• The ideal is to strike a medium between ideology and inspiration.我的理想是在意识思想和灵感鼓动之间找到一个折衷。

18 emblems   

n.象征，标记( emblem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His emblems are the spear and the burning torch. 他佩带的徽记是长矛和燃烧着的火炬。 来自辞典例句
• Crystal prize, Crystal gift, Crystal trophy, Champion cup, Emblems. 水晶奖牌、水晶礼品、水晶纪念品、奖杯、金属奖牌。 来自互联网

19 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

20 aspiration   

n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出

参考例句：

• Man's aspiration should be as lofty as the stars.人的志气应当象天上的星星那么高。
• Young Addison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。

21 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

22 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

23 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

24 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

25 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

26 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

27 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

28 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

29 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

30 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

31 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

32 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

33 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

34 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

35 bulwark   

n.堡垒，保障，防御

参考例句：

• That country is a bulwark of freedom.那个国家是自由的堡垒。
• Law and morality are the bulwark of society.法律和道德是社会的防御工具。

36 geographically   

adv.地理学上，在地理上，地理方面

参考例句：

• Geographically, the UK is on the periphery of Europe. 从地理位置上讲，英国处于欧洲边缘。 来自辞典例句
• All these events, however geographically remote, urgently affected Western financial centers. 所有这些事件，无论发生在地理上如何遥远的地方，都对西方金融中心产生紧迫的影响。 来自名作英译部分

37 secede   

v.退出，脱离

参考例句：

• They plotted to make the whole Mississippi Valley secede from the United States.他们阴谋策划使整个密西西比流域脱离美国。
• We won't allow Tibet to secede from China and become an independent nation.我们决不允许西藏脱离中国独立。