Bedža
The Beja tribes for their long history probably did not experience a central authority. They did not even hide their dislike to any form of organized power that would (presumably) interfere with their nomadic freedom. They were deeply content with their siIif, or customary law which was sufficiently powerful and equally practical to diffuse all tribal tensions, no matter how serious they are. Migration, enforced settlement and job hunting in urban centers were new realities accompanied by ethnic diversity and a continuous struggle for power- things the Beja were not accustomed to. Accordingly, education, health services and development of the region were some of the questions often raised by Beja politicians in an attempt to cope with others. Lack of response and prompt action lead to denunciation and rejection of policies adopted by the central government for the deliberate exclusion of peripheral regions(including the Eastern Region). Politically, the majority of the Beja were affiliated with the Democratic Unionist Party(DUP)- the political wing of the Khatmyia - a prominent religious sect in the Sudan. Their faithful adherence to this sect and unconditional political support for its party was not sufficient to elevate their sufferings. On this background ,the Beja elite was convinced that they are under-represented and not taking their fair share of power and wealth, while at the same time government services are diverted to other regions. The general presumption is that they have been ignored and left alone to struggle with famine, sickness and poverty. This has been associated with a growing feeling that they have been manipulated for purposeless political gains. This believe was reached by that fact that their representation on both regional and national levels was not corresponding to their economic resources, voting power ,nor to their attempted aspiration for political and social transformation. This feeling was behind the historical meeting of the Beja tribes in Port Sudan in October, 1958 to form, what was later known in the Sudanese politics as, Beja Congress(BC).The latter was started as an outcry to draw attention to the political and economic grievances of the Beja people. The message conveyed by the BC was very simple and stated that "no vote without development and fair representation". On the other hand ,this has been viewed by the national parties as a challenge, destabilizing force and a serious competitor for electoral votes in the region. Their assumption, however was proved to be correct, since the BC was able, in its first test in 1964 parliamentary elections, to score a landslide victory over the competing political parties in the region. Another turning point in the evolution of the BC coincided with the surfacing in 1989 of the Salvation Government headed by General Omer Al-Bashir which dissolved all political parties ,including the BC. At this stage BC adopted a new strategy-an arm struggle and waged several military confrontations with the Bashir's regime. Whatever the justification and/or outcome of these confrontations, yet it shows that the Beja are completely frustrated with the policies of Khartoum towards their region. In fact some people, especially the youth, felt that their voices maybe too soft or mild to be heard by the Khartoum's officials who are accustomed to listen to voices that only accompanied by mortar shellings and machine guns. Currently, the condition of the Beja is very tragic. Their region was a subject to repetitive cycles of drought and desertification. The level of famine ,malnutrition and diseases is mounting. The situation was correctly characterized by one western worker in the region "The Beja are losing the struggle and their ability to cope is near exhaustion, a people and culture at risk and the world seems unperturbed by their passing". These are the problems which have to be addressed urgently and seriously. Unless this picture is changed ,the struggle in the Eastern Region of the Sudan may continue for some years to come. -->