As the consequences of the Sudanese catastrophe unfold, we must recognise that the destruction of this land, the violence and the ethnic cleansing will not pass unnoticed. History does not fear, cannot be silenced and will not be held back; it records every crime the two generals have committed against the Sudanese people. They cannot escape their fate, and their history is now coloured with darkness and blood.
Even so, army commander al-Burhan chose to enter history alongside Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, both seeking a prominent place in it; today they are being written into its darkest pages.
What is now being recorded across Sudan’s states, in Khartoum, North Kordofan, Darfur and other cities, is massive destruction: loss of life and property, the complete destruction of infrastructure, and a paralysed education system that will later leave countless children out of school and push crime to its peak. Ethnic cleansing took place in Darfur, mercilessly killing innocent people in pursuit of a false victory for one of the warring parties. All of this stems from personal disputes between the two generals, and it waters with blood the future of innocent people who lived to see the world and never imagined this deadly conflict.
Despite everything we are going through, we keep branding one another traitors, even though this treason-branding is what led us into this cursed ring of fire: the refusal to accept differing opinions, and the gallows we raise for anyone whose view differs from ours.
Even now, at the bottom of the abyss, we still call each other traitors. We have split into two camps: enthusiasts for the war under the slogan “Bal Bas”, and opponents of it under the slogan “No to War”.
A final note: we do not need all this treason-branding to build a state. We need to revive our consciences, accept our differences, build our capacities, put every person and institution in its proper place, and restructure all institutions to serve the nation and its citizens. This is how states are built. States are built on cooperation and mutual respect; dictatorial repression, violence and ethnic cleansing tear them down.