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| Africa Horn |
| Twelve people killed, scores injured in clashes near oil-rich Abyei region |
| 2008-01-05 |
| (KUNA) -- Twelve people from the Missiriya tribe were killed and scores others were injured by forces of the former SPLA rebels in southern Sudan in clashes near the oil-rich Abyei region, disputed between the north and south. The Sudanese press center said that renewed skirmishes erupted this morning when the SPLA forces stationed in the Arabian Sea north of the southern Sudan attacked shepherds and their cows, which led to the occurrence of clashes between the two sides leaving 12 dead of Missiriya tribe and scores others. The clashes occurred hours after a visit by a delegation from the central government, including the Minister of Defense and Minister of the Sudan People's Army to the region, which witnessed fierce battles between the three parties over the past two weeks. First Vice President of the Sudanese President of the Government of South Silva Kir Myardit yesterday ordered his forces to withdraw to within the borders of the South to end the conflict that led to the deaths of 100 people from the two sides according to unofficial statistics. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 OP is quite correct: The concept of land and resources belonging by right to the occupants, and not to the strongest, is a recent western concept that springs from extending the Sermon on the Mount from individuals to nations. I myself think that's a stretch, but I find it amusingly hypocritical that intelligensia of the african, asian, and Amerindian persuasion argue from that basis to condemn western civilization when their own civilizations, at the time of their conquests, had no similar principles that would have kept them from doing the same thing if they had the same power and opportunities the western colonial powers had at the times they had them. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2008-01-05 18:52 |
| #2 It's pure African tribalism, Glung McGurque2454. "Your tribe has something we don't have, so we're going to take it away from you." It's not just oil: it's grazing land, water, food, hunting territory, or just years and years of being the trod-upon. Modern weapons can make even a weak, exploited tribe a killer. The same thing happened among the tribes of American Indians. I'm sure it happened in Asia and Europe before the development of kingdoms. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2008-01-05 13:36 |
| #1 Maybe I didn't take the history classes which covered it, but did this sort of stuff happen around Beaumont when Spindletop was discovered and exploited? Maybe it's something unique to Sudan and neighboring regions. |
| Posted by: Glung McGurque2454 2008-01-05 01:22 |