BY SILEWUNET BELACHEW
The budding alliance between Sudan and Egypt’s tyrant is intriguing. In forging such an alliance Sudan has chosen to dance with the devil; given the long history of suspicion and distrust between the people of Sudan and the successive leaders of Egypt.
For centuries, the Egyptians have quietly engineered several military coups in Sudanese territory, and at one point they were able to jointly colonize it with the United Kingdom. And no wonder that every Egyptian leader declares himself to be the everlasting ruler of Sudan in secret, for they have used Sudan as a backyard where they plant the seeds of anarchy and discord to reap undisputed benefits.
Over the years, they have attempted a series of political and imperialist tactics to undermine and control the Sudanese people, ranging from appointing their commanders to set up their puppet government. Likewise, the current president, El Sisi, is vigorously seeking the old Egyptian methods of governing Sudan through former army leader, General Abdel Fettah al-Burhan.
Sudanese are right about El Sisi
Every Sudanese opposition to Egypt’s El Sisi is not a recent phenomenon. Any time he lands in Sudan, this happens. You may wonder ‘’Why would they do such a thing to him?’’ We saw how the Sudanese reserved a warm welcome to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed when he came to push parties in Sudan’s conflict to reach an amicable political solution back in 2018. What is it about El Sisi that made the Sudanese so angry? The answer is simple: Egyptian leaders don’t hesitate to profit out of the misfortune of the Sudanese people.
For decades, Sudan’s opposition and protest movements have warned Egypt not to meddle with their internal affairs. Sudanese demonstrators, for example, were suspicious of pursuing Egypt’s lead in 2019, after the former army chief met with President El Sisi to seek strategic advice. Thousands of Sudanese marched from the Sit-in square in front of the army headquarters to the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum at the time, demanding Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to end his “interference” in the Sudanese internal affairs. They chanted slogans like “Tell El-Sisi this is Sudan, your borders are Aswan,” referring to the disputed boundary between the two countries.
The latest protest against El Sisi’s official visit to Sudan on March 6, 2021, which was largely organized by the prominent journalist and actor Suheir Abdelrahim, reflected how dissatisfied the Sudanese people are with Cairo’s interference in their internal affairs.
The Sudanese people realized that El Sisi is the latest Pharaonic beast who is only interested in securing Egypt’s pitiless interest in the Nile by using the Sudanese as sacrificial lambs on the altar of war with Ethiopia and stealing a bargain for the Halaib Triangle while the Sudanese are engulfed in conflict.
More importantly, the Sudanese were well aware that he had come to Sudan solely to consult with his ‘brother,’ Abdul Fatah al-Burhan, on how to divert Sudanese attention away from the Shelatin and Halaib borders issues by involving them in confrontation and war with Ethiopia, Sudan’s brotherly and peaceful neighbour.
Furthermore, Sudan’s new Foreign Minister Miriam Al Sadiq’s comment in Cairo last week gave them a clear hint of what the governing regime is thinking about the controversial Halaib Triangle, as well as a clear picture of what is going on behind the curtain between the two military generals meeting in Khartoum. The Sudanese were smart enough to understand this plot, and in light of Egypt’s adversarial character, they are willing to pay in their blood to end it rather than battle Ethiopia and its neighbours.
So, the protesters were undeniably justified in their opposition to him! What did they expect from a bloodthirsty autocrat who declares war against his people to win political advantage? He also wants to throw the Sudanese people and resources into a firefight to protect his regional interests.
In conclusion, the budding new relationship between al-Burhan and Egypt’s El Sisi is a clear and well calculated political game to put Sudan’s democratic aspiration and development in Jeopardy and further highjack the political transition from the military element to the civilian rule by extending the longevity of the leadership of al-Burhan. And the most obvious is securing a deal on Halaib Triangle, which Egypt currently occupies and sees as strategically important for its Red Sea access, and has consistently refused Sudanese efforts to submit the matter for international arbitration.
The people and the elites of Sudan need to comprehend this truth; Egypt is not a trustworthy ally and the ruling military group is a family that owns a huge investment in Cairo and they will do anything under their capacity to fulfill the brutal and selfish interest of the Pharaohs.
Should Sudan continue being the backyard of Egypt, their future development will be in jeopardy causing irreparable damage to the nation’s stability and security. Thus, the Sudanese need to work together and refuse to accept the incessant interference of Egypt in their internal affairs. The people of Sudan are capable of extricating the country from poverty and constant political turmoil to establish democracy and secure sustainable development. They hardly need the mercy hand of Cairo any more. Indeed, ‘Cairo’s borders are until Aswan, not in Sudan’
The Ethiopian Herald March 17/2021
