“Al-Ansarafi”...Who is the mysterious influencer that the Sudanese wait for every night?

One of the most prominent influencers on social media in Sudan is a person who calls himself Al-Ansarafi, followed by thousands of Sudanese (Reuters)

Late in the era of ousted President Omar al-Bashir, a mysterious activist appeared in the Sudanese political arena who called himself “The Secessionist” and began delving into political affairs in Sudan through social media pages.

Al-Insarafi was not the only person acting politically under a pseudonym in those days, but he quickly became the most prominent name.

As the days passed, Al-Insarafi became a star whose appearance people awaited, until the views of the clips he broadcast on his YouTube channel exceeded 45 million views. He soon entered the world of fashion, where he designed a women’s dress bearing Al-Insarafi’s drawing and name.

On the other hand, there are those who are pursuing him and threatening him with prosecution on charges of inciting hatred, and despite the conflicting opinions and the many stories about him, what is certain is that no one so far can claim to have met him directly.

Sources indicate that Al-Ansarafi intends to remove the veil from his face soon for the first time, but many doubt the veracity of this.

Al-Insarafi has a remarkable presence on most social media platforms, as he has recorded more than 45 million views on YouTube, and about 75,000 people follow his YouTube channel. A little more than that on the X platform, and about 200,000 people follow him on TikTok, and a number close to that on the Facebook application.

Conflicting accounts

There are many conflicting accounts regarding Al-Ansarafi’s identity, including what the electronic newspaper “Maradis” reported from sources close to the Rapid Support Forces who said that he is a Sudanese intelligence officer with the rank of colonel named Nour al-Din Abu Qarun, and he works with a Sudanese army intelligence team consisting of 4 generals distributed between Cairo, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Addis Ababa.

The newspaper indicates that Al-Ansarafi had previously been seconded to work in the intelligence service before he later returned to work in the army.

However, a former senior official in the Sudanese intelligence service denied that this mysterious person had joined the intelligence service, and this is evidenced by the modesty of his information, which is sometimes not accurate, which confirms that he is moving alone.

As for Major General Mohamed Tabidi, the former media official in the intelligence service, he commented on Al Jazeera Net’s question about the identity of the mysterious character, “I have nothing to say about the phenomenon of Al-Insaray, although I am aware of his background.”

Tabidi said, "Insarafi's distinction, his ability to provide strong, information-filled statements, and his ability to extrapolate and predict, despite the ambiguity of his personality, is a striking phenomenon."

However, journalist and leader in the Forces of Freedom and Change, Maher Abu Gokh, provides Al Jazeera Net with a different statement than previously, as he says that Al-Ansarafi works in parallel with the “remnants’ rooms” from members of the deposed President Omar Al-Bashir’s regime and with the leaders of the Sudanese army, and when a difference in viewpoints occurs between the two groups. His speech is confusing, but in general it expresses the positions of former intelligence director Salah Gosh, his relative on his mother’s side, according to Maher Abu Gokh.

A military source familiar with a relationship with the military media indicates that the Sudanese army denies any connection with the separatist, although the source admits that the separatist continued to strongly support the army in the darkest circumstances, and that the army honored him indirectly.

For his part, Asaad Al-Tay - a former officer in the Sudanese army who is active on social networking sites - gives another account of Al-Ansarafi’s identity. He says that his name is Muhammad Mahmoud Al-Samani, and he is a young Islamic man who was born in the United States of America and worked with his father in the Sudanese parliament during the era of deposed President Omar Al-Bashir. .

Al-Tay’s account matches the testimony of journalist and Freedom and Change leader Maher Abu Al-Goukh, but a leader in the Sudanese parliament - who requested to remain anonymous - denied to Al-Jazeera Net that the aforementioned person had worked in the Sudanese parliament, and confirmed that the late Mahmoud Al-Samani held the position of director of financial affairs in the parliament until he retired. 2010.

Despite the many stories and speculations about the character of the controversial man, the truth of his identity and what is hidden about him remain a matter of controversy among the Sudanese, hoping that the days will reveal the mask behind which he is hiding.

An influential and controversial figure

The urgent question is how was it possible for Al-Insarafi to have all this momentum and steal the spotlight from other activists on social media? Here, Dr. Saif al-Din al-Awad, former dean of the Faculty of Media at Omdurman Islamic University, spoke and told Al Jazeera Net, “The man is not a separatist as the name suggests. He is a conscious, educated human being who is aware of what he says, and has become one of the major influencers on social media, which makes him a phenomenon worthy of study and analysis.” ".

Journalist and political analyst Othman Mirghani admits - in his interview with Al Jazeera Net - that Al-Ansarafi’s speech has become influential and a driver of some events and touches people’s passions.

Al-Awad adds that Al-Ansarafi used phrases that are consistent with the language of young people, which some may find vulgar, but it is the language of reality, and this was also one of the features of the content he published.

Al-Insarafi continues to raise controversy among those who follow him with hatred and love, and an informed source in the Sudanese army says that he remained strongly supportive of the army in the darkest circumstances, and “he continued to provide content that touched the hearts of citizens, contributed to strengthening confidence in their army and exposing the tricks of the Forces of Freedom and Change and the nakedness of the Rapid Support militias.” According to his expression.

Can it be hunted?

Many of Al-Ansarafi’s opponents are threatening to pursue him legally, but it seems that the mysterious man does not care about that. Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab Lawyers Union, Muhammad Al-Hassan Awadallah, believes that the legal rule says that any harmed person has the right to pursue whoever causes harm to him, even if he is an unknown person.

But journalist and Freedom and Change leader Maher Abu Goukh threatens Al-Ansarafi with more than just legal prosecution. He says, “After the end of this war, many social media activists - led by Al-Ansarayi - will be brought to war crimes court for broadcasting speech that incites hatred and incitement to commit war crimes.” .

Source: Al Jazeera