Differences in Egyptian Opinions on the Sudanese Issue

By: Zain Al-Abideen Saleh Abdul Rahman

The visit of General Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan to Cairo and before that to Libya has sparked a great controversy among the Egyptian elites, and the controversy centers on how to maintain Egyptian security. This controversy shows how the Egyptian elites understand the Sudanese-Egyptian relationship, if it is at the level of the neighborly relationship between the two countries, is it a normal relationship governed by border relations and the two sides’ respect for the internal affairs of both, or is it a relationship governed by many and overlapping factors that has a historical legacy and is linked by a strategic bond?… Although the relationship always witnesses a state of progress and development in some periods… and there is also a decline in other periods… This is due to the difference in political regimes that pass through the two countries, and there become situations of tension and attraction, but most periods do not affect the relationship between the two peoples. The political debate over the relationship is an important issue because it reveals what is required from each side. There is also a relationship that is punctuated by many external interventions, and this is due to the difference in interests. I do not think it would be acceptable for Sudan to specify for Egypt whom it befriends and with whom it deals, and I do not think Egypt will interfere in Sudan’s foreign relations either. Everyone works for the interests of the state and the people. Everyone is convinced that the relationship between Sudan and Egypt is strategic.
Dr. Amani Al-Taweel, a researcher at Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies on African affairs, commented on Al-Burhan’s visit to both Tripoli and Cairo to one of the Egyptian channels, and it was reported by the “Madina News” network. Commenting, Al-Taweel said, “Al-Burhan’s visit to Libya was remarkable, because he met one of the leaders of the global organization of the Muslim Brotherhood.” Muslims, and Al-Burhan’s movements raise to a large extent question marks. Al-Burhan thus sends conflicting messages, and these conflicting messages in the recent period have caused some kind of concern in Cairo about his regional movements, and his visit to Cairo is part of it to reassure Cairo about his regional movements (which he wants t
o reassure a better country before the visit and not after it. The issue is related to the visit to Libya, and Al-Taweel came to associate it with regional visits, as if Al-Burhan came to Egypt to provide a full report on his regional visits to the Egyptian government, and this is a deficient understanding of the relationship between the two countries. Is Al-Taweel really aware of Amani Al-Taweel? And it absorbs the Sudanese social culture, which has nothing of the pasha culture. The relationship between the two countries is one of mutual respect and equality, and I do not think that the Egyptian government carries such pasha visions that Al-Taweel has in her imagination and deals with other countries, especially Sudan.
If we look at the issue from another side, we find the speech of Major General Hatem Bashat, the former Egyptian consul in Sudan, the former intelligence agent, and now a member of the House of Representatives, during his speech at the Egyptian Solidarity Committee symposium, in which he said, “There are elements that have been naturalized from Chad, Libya, Mali, and Cameroon.”to ignite the conflict. What is happening is targeting a random occupation of Sudan, and we must understand the situation correctly. There is a large external plan to bring about a demographic and geopolitical change, on April 15, 2023 in the wake of the outbreak of war. Egypt realizes that the ongoing war in Sudan is not between two generals. It is an externally supported war in which Libyan mercenaries participate.
Amani Al-Taweel, who came out of the researcher’s robe to the controversial media personality, said in the meeting (that Al-Burhan’s arming of the mobilizers and civilians are all indicators that worry the regional neighborhood, and the emergence of contradictions on the ground among those who carry weapons, and thus he opens the country towards a Somali-style civil war, and this is it. What could worry Egypt the most in one way or another (Egypt’s leadership fully understands what is happening in Sudan, and understands the process of mobilizing civilians that the Commander-in-Chief of the Army had called for, and which is taking place under the command of the army and controlled by commanders of the forces… What is strange about the matter Researcher Amani Al-Taweel took sides in the Sudanese conflict and adopted her political discourse and placed the blame on others. If it were not for this mobilization and popular resistance to protect the areas where citizens are located and their property, the army would not have changed the defense strategy to attack and liberate Omdurman.
Al-Taweel said in the same meeting (part of Al-Burhan’s visit to Cairo regarding his position on the outcomes of the Manama meeting, as there were certain commitments that were not fulfilled). I believe that the Manama meeting was overtaken by events in Sudan, and the head of the Sudanese government delegation to Manama, Lieutenant General Shams Al-Din Al-Kabashi, a member of the Sovereignty Council and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army; It was announced in the White Nile in the city of “Kosti” that there is no further step in any negotiations before the Rapid Support militia leaves people’s homes and service institutions.. And I think all those who were in the mediation knew this, that the excitement that Al-Taweel uses to attract attention is effective within the limits of those who want to reassure themselves. The young option has become clear: Sudan without a militia. Isn’t that Egypt’s desire?
Major General Bashaat said in the same symposium, “The intended project wants to divide Sudan and to wipe out the competencies, cadres, national minds, and leaders of Sudan from life… No voice is louder than the voice of foreign intelligence and the suspicious, murderous organizations.” Major General Bashaat adds, “The project is not related to Hemedti, but it is It is much, much bigger than that.. Hemedti is only a tool for implementing this project.. He is dismantling the army, then the state, then the people in order to hand over this “cake” to foreign parties and to abolish the ancient Sudanese history with its civilization, culture, and symbols.) Bashat’s speech represents the Egyptian government’s view for what is happening in Sudan. All this danger, Al-Taweel denounces that the youth of Sudan are mobilized to take up arms to protect their country.. What is new that has happened for Al-Taweel to change her convictions..
Al-Taweel also said: “Al-Burhan’s movements towards Iran make there a connection between the Sudanese issue and Gaza, because Iran now has platforms in the Arab region: the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas, which will open a new angle for Iranian influence that will drag the region into a regional war.) There is no connection between the two except in the imagination of Amani Al-Taweel, and she is the one who made the idea of ​​her speech coincide with the report broadcast by the Al-Hadath Al-Arabiya channel. The strange thing is that Saudi Arabia and the Emirates have restored their relations with Iran. The two countries are in a state of war with the Houthis in Yemen, allies of Iran. The Emirates denounces the return of Sudan’s relationship with Iran through its references to the media broadcasting from its lands. Al-Taweel rode the wave according to a conviction that goes back to the alignment it wanted. It is our great desire to bring back Dr. Al-Taweel putting on the researcher’s robe again because it gives her elegance and elegance in her speech, which has become highly skeptical about what is happening in Sudan.