Sudanese Vice President John Garang Dies In Helicopter Crash

Dr. John Garang, former Sudanese rebel leader and the best hope for keeping the peace between Northern and Southern Sudan apparently died today in the crash of his helicopter while returning to Sudan from a personal visit to Uganda just three weeks after being sworn in as the Sudanese Vice President under a new national constitutional written expressly for him.

According to FoxNews online and the AP, bad weather caused the helicopter to turn around and attempt to return to Uganda. The cause of the crash has not yet been established (although the AP article notes that "an Ugandan rebel group, the Lord's Resistance Army, operates in the area and has shot down Ugandan military helicopters in the past."

Even though the troubles in the Western region of Darfur continue to make headlines, the peace settlement reached with the Southern region (with significant and quiet help from the Bush administration) after over 25 years of violence (mostly suffered by the Black poplulation in the South) was viewed by many as an extraordinary step towards removing Sudan from the list of international pariahs.

There appears to be literally no one with any stature equal to Dr. Garang to step up and replace him in the Sudanese government. Although the story is still breaking (his death has not even been officially announced by Sudan) I would say that there will undoubtedly be those in both North and South Sudan who will try to take advantage of the situation to settle old scores and try to return to the former bloody status quo.

It will be a true test of Sudanese President El-Bashir's leadership for him to hold the peace agreement together in Garang's absence.

Pray for the people of Sudan. This is a sad day, not only for Sudan, but for a world that yearns for peace.