Legitimate Concerns!

Dr. Al-Khidr Haroun

Those who have lived in rural areas and towns surrounded by deserts are undoubtedly familiar with the terror that grips residents during certain seasons of the year when violent storms and winds erupt, even though these events recur annually or every few years. There is no outgrowing the fear and panic, for man was created weak.

You can see from afar how layers of these storms accumulate, appearing like a flood or a tsunami to those who have seen images of that terrifying, destructive cyclone — a sight reminiscent of Judgment Day. On satellite channels, the winds touch the earth’s surface, racing forward with lightning speed, resembling ocean waves crashing onto land suddenly. They then take on a reddish hue resembling blood, before turning yellow and, in the final stages of their assault, becoming pitch black. The darkness obscures vision like a moonless night, leaving you unaware of what lurks within. That is why there is a prayer for protection from the unknown hidden in its folds: “And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness.” (Al-Falaq 3).

Perhaps the most storm-ravaged region on earth is the southwestern United States, where tornadoes have a devastating season. Each tornado is given a name and arrives like predestined fate, destroying whatever it wills — sometimes wiping out entire areas of trailer homes. You can see elderly men and women weeping bitterly in front of cameras, repeating, “We lost everything.” Tears from men are precious.

The fear in our lands and across the Muslim world may stem from the reference in the Quran to the scorching wind (Al-Rīh Al-Sarsar) that God sent as a punishment for disobedience and rejection of His prophets and messengers. The people of Hud mocked his warnings, demanding that he bring upon them the punishment he had foretold. When they saw the storm approaching, they mistakenly believed it to be a life-giving rainstorm to irrigate their fields and bring a bountiful harvest:

“But when they saw it as a cloud approaching their valleys, they said, ‘This is a cloud bringing us rain!’ No, it is what you sought to hasten — a wind containing a painful punishment.” (Al-Ahqaf 24)

In the Nevada desert in western America, a similar storm once struck. A news anchor, Rochelle Meadow, described it, possibly having been taught by a Sudanese citizen about how we describe such storms. She eloquently repeated the Sudanese term “Haboub… Haboub…” while struggling to contain her laughter at the strangeness of the word — or perhaps out of fear. Who knows?

The disappointments that strike us like scorching lightning bolts after every surge of hope for a promising future — followed by violent winds — make our joy tinged with caution and fear. Not every promising sign brings fulfillment, and not every hope is destined for realization. Some failures stem from haste and unfulfilled conditions for success, while others result from limited vision — seeing much but not recognizing the dangers lurking beyond the hill, like snakes hidden in the wilderness.

We are witnessing hopeful signs of victory on the horizon that could return millions to the warmth and embrace of their homeland. Yet these hopes are clouded by fears as we see Sudan’s borders and its neighbors laden with chaos and identity-based killings: Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Ethiopia are all fertile ground for the seeds of malicious evil, planted and growing rapidly.

We are living in an era when the victorious powers of World War II — led by America, which established the post-war global order — are poised to discard this system under President Donald Trump. This system was never free from fundamental flaws and never achieved absolute justice or equality among the over 190 member states. Its will was dominated by five major powers in the Security Council. Still, it preserved some rights for weaker nations — the right to sovereignty over their borders, protection from external interference, and defense against aggression.

This system maintained peace between major powers for 80 years despite the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction worldwide. America accepted the cost of its dominance, maintaining fleets in every ocean and enforcing economic sanctions without concern for titles like “Empire” or “Superpower.” America was willing to pay the price of its global dominance from its own treasury and from the wealth of those it could influence.

Then Donald Trump, the businessman, came with what he saw as an open-ended mandate, seeking to dismantle this aging system, sacrificing America’s purchased leadership for an “honorable isolation” through a blatant assault devoid of diplomatic subtlety. He would say bluntly to the blind man, “You are vision-impaired!”

Would Trump take the Panama Canal without Panama itself — a state carved out of Colombia by American hands for American interests after France’s failure to secure it? Would Trump seize the canal and leave the state that depends on its revenue? Would Greenland be sold by the Kingdom of Denmark? Would another forced Palestinian exodus take place? Would Germany reclaim Alsace and Lorraine? Would powerful nations demand the return of territories once annexed under international law? And would… and would… and would… The list of questions stretches endlessly toward a hidden abyss.

This is alarming. Africa provides the clearest example of arbitrary European territorial acquisitions achieved through force. In its prime, Germany controlled East Africa, Cameroon, and Namibia — the brain behind the conquest and division of Africa among Europeans without warfare. By 1914, all of Africa, except Ethiopia and Liberia, was under European control. Today, every African state has ethnic extensions into another country and disputed lands. Could this be the foundation for the coming chaos that looms with devilish horns?

Is Trump a passing phenomenon whose ambitions will fade after four years, during which the deep state — the entrenched bureaucracy — will obstruct his plans? All of this remains hidden in the depths of the unknown.

Are we preparing for all of this?

We have transitioned from authoritarianism to pluralism with remarkable ease, without external assistance, after the periods of General Abboud and Nimeiri. However, the transition after Bashir faltered due to foreign interference in shaping the process according to their interests.

The former U.S. envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Donald Booth, reportedly stated in a leaked letter (whose original English version remains unverified) that the United States should work with its regional allies to stop the war in Sudan through an agreement that secures American and allied interests — as if Sudan were an uninhabited desert!

This faltering transition has led to a brutal war that continues to devastate us. If we genuinely sought to end the cycle of conflict between the military and fragile civilian governments — with a sincere desire to preserve the nation — we would have found a way. After all, Sudan is the cradle of an ancient civilization.

Yet a degree of self-contempt and inferiority that was never part of us has allowed outsiders to infiltrate our veins until we lost their respect. Buying and selling among us became rampant — may God protect us from that!

We are witnessing the early signs of an impending tsunami: the overthrow of neighboring regimes, the construction of military bases with airstrips under the guise of mobile hospitals, and preparations for chaos, death, and displacement under the pretext of aiding refugees.

Should we wait for Genghis Khan or Hulagu to sharpen their swords for our slaughter? Or should we prepare by building a strong national army, a federal government focused solely on defense, and a robust foreign policy? This is the moment for a leap forward — a pivotal chance to reshape Sudan’s future. Let us seize it.