Church calls for peace after synod meeting

The Episcopal Church of Sudan held a three day business meeting in mid-November, and released a communiqué calling for peace in the countries where it operates. The church organization covers congregations in both Sudan and South Sudan.

Signed by the Archbishop, the leader of the clergy and the leader of the lay representatives, the document began with a reaffirmation of core commitments. The first one is to serve Jesus by proclaiming the Gospel.

The ECS synod reaffirmed its commitment to serving Jesus Christ in both Sudan and South Sudan through the continued proclamation of the Gospel, through national and international advocacy efforts for peace and reconciliation between the communities of conflict in Sudan and South Sudan, and through service delivery in the areas of healthcare, education and social development.

The post-synod document also declared with a bit of detail what efforts the church would take in each of four areas: proclaiming the Gospel, National and International Adocacy Efforts,  Service Delivery and Stewardship and care of our environment.

In Proclaiming the Gospel, the church described its effort as:

In order to proclaim the gospel, the ECS will continue its efforts of high-level political and grassroots evangelisation in order to reach all the communities of the Sudan and South Sudan. The ECS will also continue to adhere to the traditions of the Anglican Communion through use of the Prayer Book and training to new and existing pastors on the meaning of Anglicanism.

 The Episcopal Church of Sudan strongly condemned the persistent aerial bombardment of civilian territories, summary executions of innocents, and combat in civilian areas in the Nuba Mountains, Southern Blue Nile, Upper Nile State and Unity State. They went on to urge both governments [Sudan and South Sudan] to resolve any differences peacefully and not to resort to war and killing of the innocent civilians who yearn for peace. They said,

The ECS will remain a beacon of the hope of Jesus Christ so that the people of Sudan and South Sudan, traumatised by decades of devastating civil war, recognise the renaissance of their time and the hope of this new beginning.

Additionally the church will endeavour to mobilise their own local resources in order to improve and establish basic services [education and healthcare provision] to all people in Sudan and South Sudan.
To be good stewards over the land God has given us, the church said that they must ensure that our natural resources and our environment are not destroyed through carelessness or vandalism.  Archbishop Reverend Daniel Deng Bul Yak and other representatives ended the communique with a prayer:

God bless Sudan
God bless South Sudan
God bless the Episcopal Church of the Sudan

 An Episcopal Church of Sudan congregation would welcome any visitors who want to learn more about Jesus Christ, or Christian worship. There is a congregation in Port Sudan. Why not make a visit?

http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/11/23/ACNS4985

Port Sudan harbour jobs - going, going...

Al Jezeera reports that 30,000 jobs are expected to be lost for labourers in Port Sudan. A recently made decision to mechanize the unloading of ships will greatly reduce the need for workers.

The Red Sea State government is interested in helping the workers find alternate employment or create businesses, in order to reduce the negative impact of unemployment on so many people. Government officials from the Ministry of Human Resource Development and the International Labour Organization and the country representative of the United Nations Development Programme and the Microfinance Bank of Sudan and others were meeting to address the real problem.

Officials will explore ideas such as training and education support, and alternate jobs within the Maritime Port Authority.

Hussein Mohamed Khalifa, deputy head of the union longshoremen, said that there is a disregard of the dilemma faced by thousands of workers. He expressed his fear that this may lead to negative reactions.

Workers fear unemployment and the inability to keep up with the cost of living. Grinding poverty may come to some of them.

Story at Al Jezeera [Arabic]  [English]

Previous $79 millionUS expansion of Port Sudan Harbour. June 2006.

Port Sudan harbour website

Description of Sudanese ports

Education Conference - next January

The TED talks are coming to Port Sudan on January 21, 2012 in Alsalam Hall.

TED conferences are a worldwide phenomena. They offer excellent speakers who talk about their special areas of expertise in technology, entertainment and design. Almost 1000 talks are available in Arabic [subtitles]. People can watch the videos online. They are designed to run only 18 minutes or less.

The plan is that about 1000 participants will come to see the presentations. Topics will be about solutions that work to advance the process of education in rural areas. Urban areas often get good education. How can rural students also get a good education? Perhaps there are strategies or technologies that will show how it can be done.

The hope is that the intellectuals, businessmen and educators will learn from the examples of the speakers and from one another. Can Sudan improve the education of the Beja and all the citizens in the country?

 Sourced from Port Sudan Online.

Official statement by the Beja Congress

بيان هام من مؤتمر البجا حول انضمامه للجبهة الثورية السودانية
16/11/2011 03:43:00

ظل شعب البجا يرزح لسنوات طويلة, في واقع متردي وبائس يعاني اهله من الفقر والمجاعات والامراض الفتاكة, ولم يجد من النظام الحاكم في السودان سوى الازلال؛ والاستبداد؛ والاستعلاء؛ والتقتيل ؛والتهميش؛ وموجات الغلاء الطاحن؛ والعطالة.
جماهيرنا الاوفياء
في اطار استعادة كرامة الانسان السوداني عامة, والبجاوي خاصة, انخرطت قيادة مؤتمر البجا في مشاورات مكثفة مع العديد من التنظيمات والحركات السودانية المسلحة, واستمرت في العديد من المدن في الداخل عبر الوسائط المتاحة وخلصت في نهايتها الى إعلان انضمامنا الى جبهة القوى الثورية السودانية التى ادرنا مع مكوناتها الاساسية العديد من الحوارات منذ وقت مبكر في لندن, خاصة بعد إن وجد ميثاق الجبهة الثورية السودانية, ترحيبا حارا من قبل جماهير الحزب, وشعب البجا, لطرحه قضية اسقاط النظام بشكل واضح لا لبس فيه, عبر العمل المشترك, الذي يزاوج مابين العمل السياسي السلمي والعمل الجماهيري المسلح.
إذ يعلن مؤتمر البجا إنضمامه للجبهة الثورية, فانه يعاهد شعبنا الابي ببذل الغالي والنفيس من اجل تحقيق الهدف النبيل, وهو اسقاط هذا النظام, وبناء سودان الديمقراطية؛ والعدالة؛ والرخاء ؛والمساواة.
اهلنا الشرفاء
إن شعب البجا الذي عانى لسنوات من التهميش, والافقار المتعمد , والموت الجماعي, حان الوقت لينتفض لاسترداد كرامته, وحقوقه المسلوبة خاصة وان الازمة السياسية التي تمر بها بلادنا بلغت زروتها, وإن الوقت حان لتخرج مواكبنا هادرة, تهتف باسقاط هذا النظام الاجرامي, الذي ارتكب ابشع الجرائم في حق الشعب وازله وافقره, ومارس الابادة الجماعية, في أبشع صورها, والتي تقف مجزرة بورسودان شاهدة عليها.
شبابنا الشجعان
نخاطب فيكم الروح البجاوية, التى لاترضى الضيم والذل والهوان, ان تهبوا جميعا وتواصلوا الطريق الذي إختطه طلاب مدينة كسلا, وشباب القضارف, الذين استبسلوا في مواجهة هذا النظام وهم عزل الا من ايمانهم بضرورة اسقاط هذا النظام, ونتمنى عاجل الشفاء للجرحى منهم , ونناشد أبناء البجا بل كل السودانيين, بالوقوف مع الجرحى والمصابين من الطلاب, ونقول لهم ان نضالنا سيتستمر الى ان تتحقق الغاية المنشودة باسقاط هذا النظام, واستعادة الديمقراطية وحقنا في العيش بكرامة في بلادنا التى ورثناها عن الاجداد, واننا سنسير في طريق قادة مؤتمر البجا العظام الذين خلفوا لنا مجد وتراث نضالي كبير.

ولا يفوتنا في هذا المقام ان نتوجه بالتحايا والتقدير لرفاقنا في قيادة الجبهة الثورية القائد مالك عقار, الاستاذ عبد الواحد نور, الدكتور خليل ابراهيم , القائد مني اركو مناوي, والقائد عبد العزيز الحلو, والاستاذ ياسر عرمان , لهذا التحالف التاريخي, ونقول لهم من هنا نبدأ كتابة تاريخ جديد للشعب السوداني والشعوب المهمشة.
بجا حديد
د. محمد ابو امنة

المكتب القيادي لمؤتمر البجا 

[translation by machine - google]

Important statement of the Beja Congress about joining the Sudanese Revolutionary Front
16/11/2011 03:43:00

The people of Beja suffer for many years, in fact worsening and miserable suffering people from poverty and starvation and deadly diseases, did not find the ruling regime in Sudan only Alszlal; and tyranny; and arrogance; and murder; and marginalization; and the waves of price rises grinding; and inertia.
 

Our fans loyal
As part of restoration of human dignity Sudanese general, and Bedjaoui private, engaged the leadership of the Beja Congress in intensive consultations with many organizations and movements, the Sudanese armed forces, and continued in many cities in the interior through the media available and concluded at the end of the announcement of our accession to the Front, the revolutionary forces of Sudan, which we turned with key components of many debates since early in London, especially after that found the Charter of the Revolutionary Front of Sudan, warmly welcomed by the masses of the party, and the people of the Beja, to put the issue of dropping the system is clear and unambiguous, through joint action, the mating between peaceful political action public action, armed.
The Beja Congress announced to join the RUF, he pledge to make our people proud dear to them in order to achieve the noble goal, bringing down the system, and building democratic Sudan; and justice; and prosperity; and equality.
 

Our people honest
The people of Beja, who suffered years of marginalization and impoverishment deliberate, and mass death, it is time to rise up to recover his dignity, and rights of the deprived, especially since the political crisis experienced by our country was Zrutha, and it was time to get out Moakpna outrageous, shouting to bring down this criminal regime, which committed the worst crimes against the people and the removal of the impoverished, and March of genocide in its worst forms, which stand witness the massacre of Port Sudan.
 

Our brave young people
Speak to you, the Spirit Abajouih, which Atrdy injustice, humiliation and disgrace, that Thbwa all and you continue the road trodden by students of the city of Kassala, young Gedaref, who heroically in the face of this system and are removed except by faith in the need to bring down the system, and wish speedy recovery to the wounded of them, and call upon the sons of Beja but all the Sudanese people, to stand with the injured students, and tell them that our struggle Setstmr that achieved the ultimate goal to bring down the system, and the restoration of democracy and our right to live in dignity in our country which we inherited from our forefathers, and we go on by the leaders of the Beja Congress bone who left us the glory of and the heritage of a great struggle.
We can not fail in this respect must turn Balthaaa and appreciation to our comrades in the leadership of the RUF leader Malik Agar, Professor Abdul Wahid, Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, leader Minni Arko Minawi, leader Abdul Aziz al-sweet, and Mr. Yasir Arman, because of this historic alliance, and tell them from here we start write a new history of the Sudanese people and marginalized people.
Baja iron
D. Mohammed Abu safe
Office of the Beja Congress leader

Beja Congress joins armed alliance

Old Beja Congress Logo. The new logo has two knives, and no gun.

From a published report.

The Beja Congress, a Sudanese armed opposition group, announced on Tuesday that they had joined the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).

The SRF is a newly formed alliance of armed opposition groups in the country since November 11. It comprises Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW), Sudan Liberation Army-Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM) apart from the Beja Congress.

A statement issued by the Beja Congress said that its decision to join would help restore human dignity in Sudan in general and specifically with respect to the Beja minority.

The movement said that it had engaged in intensive consultations with many organizations and movements in eastern Sudan and had arrived at the decision to join the SRF.

The statement reinstated that the Beja people had been languishing for many years. “In fact the misery and suffering of the people is increasing due to poverty, starvation and other deadly diseases. The ruling regime in Sudan is subjecting its people to humiliation and tyranny. They are arrogant and killing the marginalized people,” the statement read.

It also pointed out the inaction of the government in the wake of the current economic crisis and inflation.

The newly created Sudan Revolutionary Front says its aim is to overthrow the Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party through all means, including violence. The group consists of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, the Justice and Equality Movement, and two factions of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army.

The group said it believes Sudan’s government is at a weak point economically, politically and militarily. [Read this analysis of Bashir's problems.]

“The [Khartoum] regime is imploding and will vanish, like other corrupt regimes around us that have come to rely on repression to retain power,” the group said. “It has humiliated our people and dismembered our homeland. Should its rule continue, it would lead to further division in Sudan.”

Eric Reeves, a Sudan expert at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, said the group could force Khartoum to face the “daunting prospect of fighting resource-draining wars on several fronts, with the likely shut-down of oil extraction and transport from the south.”

Khartoum’s National Congress Party said the Sudan Revolutionary Front is planning to carry out acts of sabotage to lead Sudan into a crisis. The official news agency quoted a ruling party spokesman, Yassir Yusuf, as saying that the government of South Sudan should “distance itself and lift its hand to stop providing assistance to rebel movements in Sudan.”

Meanwhile South Kordofan governor Ahmed Haroun called the SRF a “miserable alliance.”

Radio Dabanga and Washington Post.




UPDATE: For further analysis of the political efforts to reduce the impact of the SRF, read this piece that is aggressively critical of Umma party leader Sadig Almahdi.


SIDE NOTE - OFF TOPIC. There are now 300 posts on this blog.  You get current news about the Beja people on this blog, and for learning more about the Beja people, please visit adroub.net

VIDEO - Sediment behind river dam exposed

When a river is dammed, the water that collects in the lake above the dam stops moving, and the sediment that was carried in the flowing stream sinks to the bottom of the lake.

After some years, when enough sediment has settled, the size of the reservoir for holding water shrinks, and it becomes more difficult to manage the flow of water into irrigation systems or the turbine systems that generate electricity.

It may be possible to raise the dam, to make it higher. This will make a different lake in the same place. The Roseires Dam has been reconstructed to make it higher.

In Egypt, the dam at Aswan was rebuilt a few miles upriver, to create a Lake Nassar, because the dam in original location couldn't be built any higher.

Of course, other factors beside sediment collection have to be considered. These may include environmental issues, cost of operation, the need for more electricity, etc.

Water released from lake
Below is an amazing time lapse video showing the first stage of deconstructing a dam. It was used by an electrical company. Federal law demanded that certain environmental features should be built, and the company didn't want to pay those costs, which were going to be higher than just abandoning the dam.

A tunnel was cut into the dam at the bottom, and as the water is released in a rush, the sediment behind the dam is washed out, creating a new river bed. The dam later will be cut apart and removed.

Watch the video made in October 2011 and discover how much of the lake wasn't very deep. It was about half full of sediment.  Fascinating.


Explosive Breach of Condit Dam from Andy Maser on Vimeo.

Spate Irrigation Problems

Many farmers who work in the regions around Kassala use spate irrigation. This involves building a small dam [about 2 feet high] that is very long, in a "u" shape. The dam essentially surrounds a field on the low side of flat land. This catches the water, which soaks into the land, charging it like a sponge, so that the land is moist. This allows a crop to be planted and grow even after the rainy season is over.

When it rains the water can't run off, and water from land uphill from the field will flow into the dammed area. This uphill water will bring soil with it, which will settle in the standing water. After a few seasons, enough sediment may collect in the field so that it is no longer useful because water will no longer make a "lake" above the dam.

Original Beja music recording - needs funding

An American from Illinois USA, and a Sudanese Beja met up in Cairo and now make music together. Miguel Merino and Ahmed Said Abuamna want to record an album of original Beja-style songs.

Using the fundraising website kickstarter, they hope to raise $15,000 by December 8, 2011 for this project to go ahead.




Their promo page has some great pictures of Beja dress and musical instruments.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/otaakband/miguel-merino-and-otaak-band/

PICTURE - Market in Shalateen, Egypt

Click to enlarge. Photo taken July 2011, by Yasser El-Rasoul

New website for the Beja Congress

The Beja Congress has launched a new website. {in Arabic}

In English [machine translated] try google.  To read further, get more text translated from Arabic to English, just refresh or reload your page. It seems that google translates only a select number of words at a time [1,000?].

I wonder if the BejaCongress.net team could archive posts by the month to make page loads easier...

Democracy in Eritrea - party list

President Afwerki has been the only president of Eritrea since its independence from Ethiopia in 1993. Yet there is hope for democratic rule in the country.

A meeting of over 500 people is set for November 21 in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia where they will discuss a process to establish democratic rule in Eritrea. The "National Congress" is organized by the Eritrean National Commission for Democratic Change. Here's a list of "civil societies" that are expected to participate. Most of these have been created during 2011.

Semere T. Habtemariam describes the role and task of opposition groups. In an extended essay, he analyses the existing rule of President Afwerki, and then explores the growing opposition to his rule. He ends with six ideas that opposition groups need to adopt if they are to be successful in changing Eritrean society. He makes a transition in the centre of the essay with these comments.

"The Eritrean people have not seen better days; injustice, oppression and hardship have been part of their normal life. This psychological make-up is hard to shrug off.

"The opposition faces an impossible mission of changing this psychological make-up of the people. The general messages of democracy, human rights and free press do not instinctively resonate with the masses. It is very hard to effectively articulate the intangible, invisible, future and disastrous effects of poor management and leadership. It is natural for the common people to reason: If Isaias Afwerki was good enough to lead us in our liberation struggle; he must then be good enough to rule us in liberation."

UPDATE: A demonstration of Eritreans who were calling for democracy in Eritrea and the ouster of President Afwerki was held in London, England recently. Other Eritreans were attending a meeting inside the fancy banquet facility "the Decorium" A video above was uploaded on October 23, 2011.
http://youtu.be/vi2YoDU_AKc

Portions of the Eritrean community have protested before. Here are two videos, posted in March and April 2011, of gatherings outside the Eritrean embassy on White Lion Road in London, England.
http://youtu.be/SutIjNcsPKM
http://youtu.be/jFna8sxjgow

Riots in Kassala, 13 year old killed

Kassala Police say that there a confrontation between themselves and smugglers of sorghum. A child was shot and killed.

What's the reality? Reports say a 13 year old was killed by police. No reports on how that happened. Citizens were enraged, and threw stones at riot police and set fire to two police cars the next day, on Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Another child was shot by police and seriously injured.

Kassala is the centre of demonstrations over the rising price of foodstuffs, for a few weeks now.

Read the complete account at AllAfrica.

Another account has these details.

Police used teargas to break up a protest in eastern Sudan on Tuesday after police killed a 13-year old boy while chasing a truck, a witness said.

Hundreds of residents gathered in the city of Kassala near the border with Eritrea on Tuesday after the 13-year boy died. A 12-year old boy was also injured during the chase.

"Police used teargas to disperse the protest. People are very angry," said [unnamed] witness.

A police spokesman said the boy had been killed accidentally when police opened fire on a truck they suspected was carrying smuggled food. He said police in Kassala are investigating the incident.

Sudanese Online.