One of the continent's most volatile countries, Sudan, will be divided in July as southern Sudan voted a few days ago to secede from the North by a 99% vote. Within a couple of days, a government minister in southern Sudan is shot and killed. Who saw that coming? OK, all of us, really.
The interesting thing about Tunisia, Egypt and Sudan is that finally, "the people" are apparently waking up to the fact that they have the power to change the way their coutnries are governed. The internet says, "You're welcome."
The West, as usual, is up in arms about the bloodshed and the turmoil. However, the reality is that the bloodshed and turmoil are really pretty minimal by historic standards and, to a large extent, nothing is worth doing unless there's some sacrifice involved. It's also absolutely true that the West can't just charge in, bang some heads together and make the children play nice. Well, we could, but we shouldn't. Just like the Iraq invasion was stupidity on the part of the right, intervention to alleviate democratic growing pains advocated by the left are just as misguided.
Like civil wars and revolutions hve shown throughout history, the people have to do it for themselves.
Despite being the longest occupied continent, Africa is still pretty much in its infancy in terms of democratic development so it would be wise to let them learn their own lessons, while not rewarding stupid behavior.
Maybe this even means the end is near for the likes of Robert Mugabe? We can only hope...
