State Terrorism Takes a Dangerous Destabilizing Turn in Sudan

By: Kayhan Int’l 

The situation in Sudan is slipping from bad to worse as soldiers snuff life out of students and in response to protests by the public the ruling military junta shuts down schools.

The killing of at least four young students in the city of al-Obeid, not just shocked the Sudanese but people throughout the world, but for observers of the recent developments in this part of Africa and the region, these bloody incidents were not surprising.

Experts point out that although the ousted and imprisoned long-time dictator President General Omar Hassan al-Bashir was not an angel and indulged in brutal ways to silence the civilian opposition during his 30-year rule, in addition to terrorizing the ethnic African Muslims of Darfur through the murderous Janjaweed militias, the present rulers are trying to outdo him in atrocities against their own fellow Arab Muslims, since the coup leaders are backed by such ruthless and rootless Arab regimes as Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The new strongman, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is directly beholden to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi for his rise, and indirectly to the US and the illegal Zionist entity, has no intention to honour the agreement that his so-called Transitional Military Council (TMC) entered into with the opposition FFC (Forces of Freedom and Change) for a surprising three year-long period for holding elections and returning the rule to a civilian government. 

Those familiar with the developments in Sudan know that the military ruler is lying glibly, and like his predecessor General Bashir, who in 1989 overthrew the last elected civilian government of veteran politician Prime Minister Sadeq al-Mahdi, he is likely to exchange his uniform for the traditional white robes and turban in order to remain in power as ‘president’ on the basis of fraudulent voting.

Those in doubt about the intentions of the new military leader should ask the aging Sadeq al-Mahdi (scion of the revolutionary Mahdi of the 19th century), or the spirit of the deceased Hassan at-Turabi – the reformist leader deceived by General al-Bashir to consolidate his rule before being ditched and dumped into a prison.

In such a critical situation, the Sudanese people, who are known to be educated and cultured with deep attachment to Islam, should neither allow themselves to be hoodwinked by the dictator in Khartoum nor to be bribed into unwarranted silence by his wealthy backers in the Persian Gulf states on the hollow slogan of Arab solidarity that doesn’t prevent them from brutally massacring fellow Arab Muslims of Yemen (with the aid of thousands of Sudanese mercenary soldiers), or for that matter of destabilizing Syria and Iraq through the macabrely murderous Takfiri terrorists, in addition to their sellout of the Palestinians to the Zionist usurpers.

The Americans are no friends of the Muslim people of Sudan, and along with Israel, will never allow Sudan to be a strong and independent Muslim country under an elected civilian government.

Under the circumstances, only iron-will resolve of the Sudanese masses on the basis of Islam and national solidarity, will enable them to shake the foundations of the illegal military junta, by offering determined martyrs to their cause, which means the four students killed in cold blood by the soldiers, are the vanguards of martyrdom in what appears to be a long and bloody struggle for the eventual triumph of people’s power in this important Arab African Muslim country.

Remaking Al-Bashir’s Regime In Sudan

Protestor in France (GERARD BOTTINO via Shutterstock)

by Abdulaziz Kilani

Last month, the interim leader of Sudan, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, visited Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. At the same time that he was in Abu Dhabi, his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, was in Jeddah meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This happened before al-Burhan headed to Mecca to attend the double-summits that Riyadh was organizing.

As soon as these interim leaders returned from their visits, the military council adopted a new approach toward protesters. “The UAE and Saudi Arabia are not interested in seeing a successful democratic transition anywhere in the Middle East, including Sudan,” Daniel Serwer, director of the Conflict Management Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, told me. “They would much prefer the military stay in charge and follow the Saudi/Emirati lead to autocracy.”

The death toll of pro-democracy protesters has topped 100 in a few days. The African Union suspended Sudan over its military’s brutal crackdown and the United Nations called for an investigation.

The force used against protesters suggests that a remake of al-Bashir’s regime is in progress, which dashes the people’s hopes for democracy. The man complicit in the crimes in Darfur in 2003, Hemedti, is now one of the country’s main leaders. Did the military council start a coup against Omar al-Bashir, pushed by the protesters, for the sake of Sudan or for the sake of saving themselves?

The protesters have insisted on the removal of the entire military council for fear that the repression they witnessed under al-Bashir may not be gone completely. They want the whole system changed not just a few individuals. The TMC, which has abandoned negotiations in favor of violence, has now become the main obstacle to the transformation of governance in Sudan to a civil state.

Perhaps the TMC wanted the protesters to take a step back. But the protesters realize that doing so would waste months of efforts and jeopardize their dream of freedom and democracy. It would also make the chance of establishing a civilian state unlikely—if not impossible—for the TMC might get the impression that the use of force is a better way for them to retain power.

Abu Dhabi and Riyadh sent $500 million to Sudan after the military council toppled al-Bashir as part of a planned $3 billion overall package. The purpose of the aid is less about aiding the Sudanese and reviving the country’s economy and more about maintaining Gulf influence in Sudan. In fact, when al-Burhan and Hemedti visited the Gulf countries, they may have gotten the green light to start the slaughter they committed on their return.

Imad Harb, director of research at Arab Center Washington DC, told me:

What is ironic is that the TMC’s main supporters in Sudanese society are Islamist forces that are demanding to continue with the imposition of sharia laws. Elsewhere in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have spearheaded a campaign against Islamists, but in Sudan they don’t seem to mind supporting the TMC whose main constituency are the Islamists. I believe that their stance on Islamists is demagogic and what they are interested in is only suppressing calls for political change, whoever makes them.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE do not want a revolution in any country where they have influence. The developing scenario in Sudan resembles how Libya’s strongman, Khalifa Haftar, after visiting Saudi Arabia, launched a military assault on Tripoli that has sent the country spinning into a civil war.

The State Department has reported conversations about the Sudan crackdown between Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale and both Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and the UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash. According to the State Department, Hale “noted the importance of a transition to a civilian-led government in accordance with the wishes of the Sudanese people.” This indicates that Washington seems concerned about the role played in Sudan by the two Gulf countries.

This concern appears to have had an effect on the two Gulf countries. The Saudi Press Agency reported a day after the State Department’s press release that the government of Saudi Arabia has followed with “great concern” the developments in Sudan. It pointed out that the kingdom “affirms the importance of resuming the dialogue between the various parties in Sudan to fulfil the aspirations of the brotherly Sudanese people.” Gargash, too, has expressed his country’s concern about the “massacre” in Sudan and supported calls for an investigation.

Given that both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi acted rapidly after the State Department’s reports, the United States is obliged to put maximum pressure on its allies. The recent nomination of David Booth as a special envoy for Sudan may turn out to be a meaningful U.S. action that President Trump hopes to get credit for. After widespread criticism of his support for Mohammed bin Salman, particularly after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump might be looking for a way to boost his public image.

On Tuesday, the protesters called off a general strike and agreed to resume talks. “The opposition’s announcement that it is suspending the civil disobedience campaign and returning to negotiations can be seen as a sign that the military is willing to compromise,” Harb added. “This may make the Saudis and Emiratis nervous. If they don’t like what they see in the next few days, they may pressure its people on the TMC (specifically Mohammad Hamdan [Hemedti] and his Rapid Support Forces) to stage what can be seen as a ‘corrective’ coup. The situation is still very fluid in Sudan.”

But for a true transformation of Sudanese governance to take place, the TMC must change the way it deals with the protesters and stop countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE from interfering in Sudan’s affairs. Talks can only succeed if the Sudanese are fully in control of the process.

Abdulaziz Kilani is the editor-in-chief of Sharq Wa Gharb Arabic electronic newspaper. He tweets as: @az_kilani