![]() Communities unite to mourn riot victims
By Opheera McDoom
Saeed's family did not blame anyone for his death. "No-one expected such a strong reaction to Garang's death," said Saeed's brother Mohamed Osman. "But it will never happen again. We the people of Sudan have to unite," he said. Garang signed a peace agreement in January to end Africa's longest civil war, which claimed two million lives. He was sworn in as vice president on July 9, but was killed in a helicopter crash less than three weeks later in his base in the south. Millions of southern Sudanese who fled the bitter civil war in the south have lived in the capital for many years. Most are forced to squat in abject poverty in huge slum areas surrounding Khartoum, with no electricity or running water and few services. News of Garang's death sparked intense rioting, mostly by southerners, throughout Khartoum, with shops burnt and looted, cars smashed and people attacked. The following days saw retaliatory violence against the southern community by gangs of armed vigilantes, despite a curfew. The violence claimed at least 111 lives in the capital alone and has polarised the city's northern and southern communities. Tut Komy, a pastor from the south, said church leaders were trying to reconcile the communities by sharing in their mourning. "We want to encourage the northerners and show them how peaceful we are," he said. "They lost their families but they need to know that what happened was not planned, it was just a reaction." Komy said southerners were afraid to leave their homes unless by car for fear of being attacked by northerners, and added there were food shortages in southern communities because many shops have remained closed since the clashes. Residents in the capital said the night had passed with relative calm although people were still too afraid to leave their homes in many areas. Heavy security remained on the streets, with dozens of tanks and armoured personnel carriers roaming the capital. Security forces were stopping buses and arresting people in the street. The interior ministry said around 1 400 arrests had been made so far. State-owned media reported President Omar Hassan al-Bashir had endorsed Garang's successor, Salva Kiir, to become first vice president, although no date was given for the swearing in. On Friday, the Muslim holy day, prayers in most of the main mosques in central Khartoum called for calm, tolerance and patience, in stark contrast with calls on Tuesday evening in some mosques to take up arms, residents said. "The southerners fled here to the capital to find security, so we have to give them security," said the leader of prayers in Khartoum university's large mosque. Universities, usually a flashpoint in troubled times, remained subdued. "These people rioting, they are uneducated and out of work," said economics student Ahmed Hassan. "We are more aware, although we were also shocked and saddened to hear the news."
Published on the Web by IOL on 2005-08-05 16:09:25
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