The Need for Wise Leaders, Not War-Chanting Poets

Haider Al-Makashfi
All current indicators, based on the ongoing destructive war and its realities, suggest that the country is heading toward a catastrophic fate, one that will scatter its people like the winds scattering fragments of Sheba. What deepens the tragedy and invites despair is that the people, faced with this dire situation, are divided into two camps. One camp bets on dialogue and negotiations to lead the country to safety, while the other stands on the opposite bank, seeing salvation only in war. Meanwhile, the country stands at a crossroads between these two views, battered and weighed down with wounds, worries, and problems. Each time it attempts to escape one trap, another appears in its path.

This has been the state of the country since the war began, and it continues to cry out for a sincere national solution to heal its wounds, resolve its problems, and restore its unity. Yet, heartbreakingly, it finds itself governed by the destructive mindset encapsulated in the infamous proverb, "If you can’t fix it, widen the gap," or the phrase, "Break it if it’s fragile." What a miserable and ruinous philosophy, one that invites chaos and ignites strife across the land. Only God knows what lies ahead if this remains the prevailing approach. Every time a near and straightforward solution appears on the horizon, a faction of saboteurs steps in to derail it, making the crisis more entrenched and complex.

This is how the war’s crisis began—small and confined, with a simple and accessible solution, as outlined in the initial Jeddah negotiations. At that time, the war had lasted no more than a month and was confined to the capital, Khartoum. Yet, driven by the destructive mentality of "widen the gap," the crisis grew, expanded, and spread to encompass the entire country. It became internationalized, slipping out of domestic control and falling into the hands of the global and regional community. It now roams from one state to another, from one capital to the next, yet remains unresolved.

This worsening state of affairs can largely be attributed to the machinations of opportunists, remnants of the old regime, and factions within the army influenced by their manipulations and provocations—not to any external devilish plot. Even if we were to entertain the famous phrase attributed to Khalifa Abdullah Al-Taaishi during a similarly chaotic period, “This country is undoubtedly haunted,” the haunting would surely be by human demons from within, not by supernatural forces.

This is not an attempt to find scapegoats for the country’s suffering. What matters most is uncovering the wisdom that has so far been absent—the wisdom needed to solve any problem or crisis through negotiation and consensus, not by any other means. History and human experience have repeatedly shown this to be the only effective path. It is a lesson we must heed.

For this reason, we will remain advocates of national unity and reconciliation. We will not, like the “poetic war-chanters,” stoke hatred, incite violence, and call for the sharpening of swords to further the bloodshed and destruction in the name of "widen the gap," until ruin consumes the land. What the country needs now are wise leaders to heal its wounds, not war-chants to inflame its fires.