A Season of Confronting the American Elephant
Rashan Oshi
The April 15 war is one of the most dangerous conflicts Sudan has faced, a war whose outcomes will determine future roles, positions, and the fate of maps and ethnic identities.
The “West” seized the opportunity presented by the collapse of the Sudanese state during a process of substitution: replacing the “Islamic Movement” and its political and social project with a regime lacking coherence or intellectual stability, aiming for a complete reversal of the Islamist coup that occurred decades ago. The 2019 regime enjoyed international support and Western sympathy as part of an effort to curb the influence of Islamists and their regional allies.
Following the outbreak of the April 15 conflict, America believed it could single-handedly stop the war whenever it deemed fit, once the warring parties were exhausted. But things have spiraled out of its control, and America has realized that the resistance front and its project are as resilient as flint — unbreakable even under continuous pressure and torrents of adversity.
The U.S.’s imperialist reactions to Sudan’s generals’ resistance to its neo-colonial agenda led it to exhaust all its leverage quickly, even though the match has just begun, and the Sudanese army’s stamina is at its peak.
With each decisive victory won by the Sudanese army, the American government imposes sanctions on General Mirghani Idris and the military’s economic network, aiming to subdue the army and coerce its leaders into meeting American demands.
This is the same United States that stands by, watching as the fires of conflict converge into a hurricane against unarmed civilians in Al-Jazeera state, bearing witness to the brutality inflicted by militias’ military machines through bombings, displacements, and an ever-expanding war while the international community remains silent on these atrocities.
The Sudanese army will not be shaken in the face of American arrogance, and General Mirghani Idris will not waver in fulfilling his duty to provide military supplies for his army. Sudan’s new reality is one of intense strength and danger.
The Sudan of today does not resemble the Sudan that existed before the “Battle of Dignity” began on April 15, 2023. The army has succeeded in defending our sovereignty, engaging in an “existential war” that the Sudanese people are willing to pay for with both human and economic costs.
Today’s Sudan is different from the one governed by the former client regime; it has been drawn out of the “proxy war” phase into direct confrontation on the field of conflict.
The U.S. sanctions on General Mirghani Idris and the military’s economic structure signify a battle of breaking bones and a bid to reshape the balance of power. It is not easy for American arrogance to accept that the end of its dominance over Sudan might coincide with a retreat of the influence it had built in the post-Bashir era.
And as further proof that Sudan today is no longer the Sudan of pre-April 15, 2023, it is likely that the United States will soon look to the Sudanese Red Sea coast only to find Russian warships and helmets of the “Basij,” reminding it of many painful memories.
With all my love and respect.