Orbits: Tribalism Pandemic in Sudan (3 – 3)
By: Muawad Mustafa Rashid
In the Sudanese case, the tribal status constitutes an identity for individuals that overrides other identities, including the national identity.
According to this perception, tribalism leads tribesmen to believe that the tribe is the basic unit that makes up society.
On this basis, the tribe takes on the character of a political institution or entity, which makes the relationship between it and the political authority turbulent, with cracks that cannot be enumerated.
The manifestations of the growing conflict appear in the intervention of the Sudanese government in a way that some ethnic groups considered non-neutral.
On the other hand, the absence of native administration in its old form has led to the emergence of groups that have begun to invest in conflicts, either for partisan or electoral political gain or through the sale of weapons.
Consequently, these groups are seeking to incite discord between the tribes in order to continue the conflict to serve their interests to continue.
Naturally, this wrong political intervention resulted in the politicization of the tribe and the tribal situation. There has also become a political polarization that has exploited tribal conflict in various directions.
Conclusion:
There are many scenarios regarding the Sudanese tribal conflict, some of which are pessimistic and some of which are optimistic.
The pessimistic scenario suggests that the conflict will continue.
Supporters of this scenario attribute the reason for the continuation of the conflict to two elements.
The first element is related to ignoring peace agreements related to the tribal conflict of some tribes at the expense of other tribes, which makes ending the conflict impossible.
The second element relates to the presence of regional parties working to restore their influence within some Sudanese regions.
The optimistic scenario takes a different approach, which is that the tribal conflict can be ended or it can be settled, if the government deals with the roots of the problem. This is represented by working to establish developmental justice and laying the foundations of a civil state free of manifestations of racism and discrimination between citizens on the basis of their races.
Naturally, this conflict cannot be settled unless there is a real political will that does not politicize it and invest in it. On this basis, tribesmen must be viewed as citizens, without considering them as belonging to a specific tribe. The law must also have the first say in settling disputes, excluding traditional or customary solutions.
However, the real solution lies in addressing the roots of the crisis, most notably balanced development, which will remove injustice and create a spirit of positive interaction among the components of the Sudanese people.”
The solution is linked to promoting the discourse of reconciliation, rejecting racist tribalism, representing all regions of Sudan in governance, initiating reconciliation between warring tribes, compensating those affected by conflicts, and keeping politicians away from involving tribalism in politics.
With all the tribal, economic and political imbalances that Sudan is experiencing, the social fabric that makes up this country is undoubtedly at stake, in a way that portends dire consequences for all Sudanese.