More than 200 years ago, a group of fresh-minded revolutionaries decided they didn't quite like the way they were being governed. More so, they weren't too happy about their lack of say in the matters of their governance.
At the time, many called them radicals and their dissenters were afraid of changing a way of life they had followed for many years, but that didn't stop them.
The first shots of the American Revolution eventually earned us the right to create our own ordinances and laws and, among them, the freedom to practice any religion we chose. In Sudan, a similar war, over similar issues, is coming to an end.
Overseen by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Sudanese government signed a peace agreement with the country's rebel faction on Sunday; ending more than 21 years of civil war. The northern-based Islamic government agreed to a permanent cease fire with the southern-based Christian and Animist group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
Hanging in the balance of this agreement are rich oil fields in southern Sudan, the ending of a horrible ethnic war and the chance for the rebels to establish a new country on their own terms. At the end of a six-year interim period, the south will be given the right to vote for self-governance.
At best, the situation in Sudan looks hopeful. One has to be skeptical of peace after 21 years of war - Africa's longest. If Palestine and Israel are any example, the fight for peace is often a much harder struggle than a formal agreement can hold together. Years of inbred hatred between the government, which Powell had acknowledged as a creator of genocide, and the rebel group will be hard to erase. Sadly, both groups have agreed to keep their fighting forces intact and the rebels have not been shy in stating that they are more than willing to return to war.
"If the North was to abrogate, then this is an open fight ?," a rebel representative said in a CNN.com story.
The U.S. government should be applauded for stepping in to help oversee these peace accords. After all, we are a country that has struggled for the same freedoms sought by the rebels.
In the future, there might be strong allies to be found in a newly formed country. More importantly, allies with rich oil resources. If we can begin a healthier partnership with a new country, tensions might be cooled in the Middle East.
It would be ideal that these two factions sort out their differences without separation but, as we discovered, sometimes extreme measures are necessary.
With the handling of relations between the two groups underway, the United States should turn its power of litigation toward western Sudan and the city of Darfur.
Because of the war with the rebels, Darfur's people have suffered and been neglected in terms of government aid and political representation. These problems have also caused negotiation difficulties between the Sudanese government and the rebels, who sympathize with Darfur's plight.
If President Bush is as committed to spreading peace throughout the world as he says he is, he won't balk at using U.S. influence to further the peace process being worked out in Sudan.
