Be wary of the new NIF antics and tell them:

NOT IN OUR NAME!

While the preparationsand negotiationsfor the Machackos Agreement are current, the remains of the NIF contingent is determined to maintain the ruling gang’s legitimacy throughout the upcoming transition period. It does not astonish any one, therefore, that these supporters of the “cultural trend” have dropped their Salvation slogans one after the other. Experience has taught us over the past unproductive 14 years that the real goal behind these forced compromises is one: that their stay in power never becomes an issue of compromise. It doesnot matter whether they are positioned in the Republican Palace or in the tiniest hamlet in one of Sudan’s four corners, as long as there is no compromise about the status quo. With this in mind, they have now turned their backs on the southern misadventure and faced north. It may be that they are looking for a recipe in ancient history to strengthen their forces. Maybe they seek old agreement permitting Wadi Halfa and Sokot to become affiliates of Abu Hamad, and adding the land of Mahas (Dalgo and Fariq and Tura’a) to the principality of Dongola in revenge to what happened in the electoral area 58 during the last democratic elections. There, a Nubian woman did the unprecedented and voted against her own husband who was the NIF representative.

At the time of pride in the new archaeological discoveries in Karma, we were dumbfounded by these “heroes” who sprouted out like weeds to announce to us Nubians that development was about to rain on our land and turn it into huge industrial compounds, green sport’s ovals, marble statues on the water ditches and an opera in every village. All this was possible because of their great talent and genius and the magic touch of those among our own who joined the ruling gang. They forgot the basic question that will face them: where was all this energy and conscientiousness during the Salvation period, when your NIF picks destroyed out infrastructureso that our people would be forced to leave? Where were you, spectres, when wealthy Nubians tried the impossible to help those in the region not to starveby creating small projects?

This is an important turn in the dignified struggle of our people and nation, a time when the forces of injustice want to have free play. This is nothing unusual. Injustice legislates according to its whims, while the nation is engaged elsewhere. It has passed the latest federal governance legislation and even went as far as to carry the first elections in the North, despite the objections of its supporters. Finally, it used Nubian NIF members, ministers, governors and individuals, in an attempt to subvert the Nubian opinion. They tried to create an umbrella of Nubian associations, its delegates all carefully chosen, with the aim of abusing those Nubian aspirations of sustainable development. Such development would allow Nubians, one of history’s most ancient cultures, to stay on their land, and provide them with a livelihood, education, health services, agriculture, industry and creative trades.

All aware people,

The Nubian Association continued to face heroically NIF policies throughout their years of miserable governance. We continue today to expose their conspiracies to subsume our associations, and we loudly object to their pretentious slogans of false development. We do not object to development, as it is not a matter of discussion that we were the first to develop our own resources and strengths, side by side with the opposition, during the great Kajbar saga. We are development’s missionaries, creators and planters, and our arms support its pumps. We refuse to be misled by the NIF conspiracies and clowning antics as they try to use our name to promote an illusory development. Their goal is to empower themselves enough to keep their boots on our necks, desecrate our land, and destroy our values.

Our people know these people well. They know that empowering themselves through NIF affiliated Nubians is but a cheap attempt at deceit and untruth. The practical policies of the current government have proven nothing but an unending enmity towards Nubians and their culture. It is a pathetic empowerment. The tails of the NIF monster can’t seem to learn from all the mistakes and problems that occurred to them in our region. So we whisper this in the ears of the Sultan’s slaves, hoping they will tell their masters: you can attempt changing black into white, rivers into butter and colour the sky orange. But do not attempt to gain the Nubian hearts, as this is impossible. Go away and find yourself some other life-vests to hang to, and leave development to the open-minded and progressive people who want to safeguard it.

General HQ of the Nubian Association

24 March 2003