Speaking of denial...
While I was in Shilluk three disconcerting things happened. The first was the attack on the peacekeepers in Darfur which has led to the subsequent pull-out of all non-essential staff (why ‘essential’ staff stay to get shot at is something that has never made much sense to me). Everyone is denying that they had anything to do with it.
The second is that Sudan conducted a census in order to figure out how much of the South’s oil profits it actually has to share with the South. The figures have come back and, surprisingly, the North has declared that there are 38 million people living in Sudan. 3.8 million of them live in the South. Now, I’m no statistician but I’ve been in the North long enough to figure out that they haven’t got 35-odd million people up there. Unless they’re keeping them underground. Which they might be. This means that Khartoum must be larger than New York City. Another clear case of denial - mostly of reality. I doubt the southerners are going to stand for this and I don't blame them.
The third is that our pal Bashir was indicted as a war criminal. I doubt that the northerners are going to stand for it. And Bashir is doing his best to just carry on denying that he has had anything to do with the war in Darfur.
It's a fun place to live here - in a continual state of denial.
The second is that Sudan conducted a census in order to figure out how much of the South’s oil profits it actually has to share with the South. The figures have come back and, surprisingly, the North has declared that there are 38 million people living in Sudan. 3.8 million of them live in the South. Now, I’m no statistician but I’ve been in the North long enough to figure out that they haven’t got 35-odd million people up there. Unless they’re keeping them underground. Which they might be. This means that Khartoum must be larger than New York City. Another clear case of denial - mostly of reality. I doubt the southerners are going to stand for this and I don't blame them.
The third is that our pal Bashir was indicted as a war criminal. I doubt that the northerners are going to stand for it. And Bashir is doing his best to just carry on denying that he has had anything to do with the war in Darfur.
It's a fun place to live here - in a continual state of denial.
Comments