When I was working on Pakistan’s national elections last year, the English language daily newspaper Dawn was the must-read voice of the country’s growing moderate, intellectual, and secular middle class (remember those lawyers who used nonviolent activism to help bring the Musharraf regime to an end and subsequently forced the new civilian government to restore the rule of law). So, despite having plenty of internal concerns these days, I was pleasantly surprised to see Dawn looking well beyond Pakistan’s borders and taking the Arab League to task for supporting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Darfur. Key quote:
Taking the stance of defending President Omar Al-Bashir is ridiculous, bordering on the laughable. Amr Moussa spoke on behalf of the Arab League in Doha and shielded President Bashir, followed by a strong statement for the Palestinian cause, and against the Gaza invasion carried out by the Israelis. Such a communiqué has its moral authority diluted. It would be far more prudent to recognise the evidence presented, and forge a multilateral approach towards the warring parties, exerting pressure on rebuilding a national consensus that leads to the resolution of the conflict.
The whole article is well worth a read. Beyond the circle of autocrats that has been hamfistedly defending Khartoum out of self interest, it’s encouraging to hear the range of global voices speaking up in support of peace in Sudan.
(Hat tip: Stop Genocide)