Few people imagine what Sudan is - one of the African countries between Ethiopia, Uganda and the CAR (CAR became notorious after killing three of our journalists), with corruption and poverty, like many of its neighbors. This is true, but there is another distinctive feature - since 1989, when a coup d'état took place in Khartoum, Sudan became the most reactionary Islamic regime in the Arab East and Africa.
Having come to power as a result of a military coup, Omar al-Bashir headed the Command Council of the National Salvation Revolution, and then became the country's president for life. During his one-man rule, the civil war in South Sudan continued, ending only in 2005. At the same time, a bloody conflict broke out in Darfur, as a result of which, according to various estimates, from 200 thousand to 300 thousand people died.
During the first war in Iraq, official Khartoum supported Saddam Hussein, for which he was included in the list of rogue states, which did not greatly upset al-Bashir and Dr. Hassan al-Turabi - the sinister shadow of the Sudanese president. At-Turabi wanted to spread his version of Islam not only on the Black Continent, but also in the Middle East, providing support to various armed groups. According to the US Department of State's annual reports, the “black doctor” provided asylum to Hamas, Islamic Jihad *, Hezbollah and the Abu Nidal group.
The most valuable exhibits of his collection was Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez, also known as Carlos Jackal, who with great reluctance agreed to move to a country with a cruel theocratic regime. It was too much even for him.
Much has been written about al-Bashir and the ominous Sudanese doctor in the Western press. This is the case when both ultra-left and ultra-right have converged: Hassan al-Turabi was the father of the Sudan war, the creator of the international of the most inveterate Islamic murderers, a man of dishonest and not alien money. Under al-Bashir, Sudan was inundated with agents of the secret police, whose methods included torture, kidnapping, and other unlawful methods of suppressing dissent.
Knowing all these facts, having documents and evidence, the United States suddenly changed its attitude towards al-Bashir after 1994. So what happened then? The leadership of Sudan began negotiations on the surrender of Carlos to the American special services. The French side was guaranteed to write off all external debt, lobbying the interests of Khartoum in international and financial organizations.
In addition, Sheikh at-Turabi received a $ 20 million bonus to his personal account. It was the reputation of the country that claimed the center of the Arab-Muslim world cost so much.
Once I asked Carlos if he knew about the collusion of foreign intelligence services with the Sudanese leadership. He replied: “The CIA and several satellite services were informed in advance about my trip to Khartoum. Sympathizers reported that the American satellite visually tracked my movements and that the French tracking system was installed by the Sudanese secret police in my car. The only Arab leader who openly betrayed me was al-Bashir. ”
What happened with Carlos — treachery — we could see yesterday from the Black Continent, in London, where Julian Assange, the founding father of WikiLeaks, was captured as a result of the agreement of the President of Ecuador and the United States. He was forcibly dragged from the Ecuadorian embassy and taken to prison. What Ecuador and personally President Lenin Moreno will receive from this deal with the devil will become clear later, but it is already obvious that they have no worse reputation. A reputation is not worth the money that was received for the head of Assange.
So the reputation of Sudan was completely destroyed. But other perspectives opened up: now the al-Bashir regime could freely engage in the massacres of non-Arab populations. According to 2001 estimates, by this time about 2 million people had already died, and 4 million were refugees. Think about these monstrous numbers: these are the greatest civilian casualties since the Second World War! How many more people were destroyed by the Boshir regime until 2018, one can only guess. And what do you think the US reacted to that? God forbid. They were occupied by Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein.
Yesterday, the Minister of Defense and First Vice-President of Sudan, Lieutenant-General Awad bin Auf, on live Sudanese TV announced the arrest of President Omar al-Bashir. A coup d'état occurred in the country, and power passed to the military council. The army put an end to a 30-year-old nightmare. Now the question of the future fate of the former president. Apparently, he will be judged in the same place in Khartoum.
Well - the relics and oil.
* “Islamic Jihad - Jamaat of the Mujahideen” - the organization is recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 02.06.2006.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.