A World Without Sudan: A Clarification

Dr. Al-Khidir Haroun

My cousin, Professor Abdulrahman Mohamed Othman, a professor at the International University of Africa, recently shared a true story in which my name was mentioned. The story had a particularly disturbing title, especially in the context of the current war: They Are Planning for a World Without Sudan! In it, the professor predicted that Sudan would cease to exist by the year 2040! This prophecy alarmed a number of respectable individuals who reached out to me for clarification—especially considering my previous role as Sudan’s ambassador to Washington, and as non-resident ambassador to Brazil prior to the establishment of full diplomatic relations. To them, the ongoing war might seem like a precursor to that inevitable disappearance.

All of these factors might lead a reader to believe there is more to the story. The gravity of this prophecy was such that Miss Hilde Johnson, the former Norwegian Minister for International Development, included it in her book Waging Peace in Sudan.

The newly appointed Brazilian ambassador to Sudan had read this book, and Professor Abdulrahman’s bold statement caught his attention: that the country to which he had been sent as ambassador would cease to exist by 2040—a disappearance that might be preceded by tremors and perhaps disasters for which Brazil ought to prepare on all fronts. The ambassador wanted to hear directly from the professor and thus the professor invited me to attend the meeting, since I was a former ambassador, and had recently joined the university as an associate professor in the College of Economics and Political Science. As I recall, the meeting did not touch upon Sudan’s disappearance, nor did it discuss the professor’s statement or any documents he might have that supported his belief in a wide conspiracy to eliminate Sudan. Nor did he volunteer to share any such documents with us.

Similarly, journalist Al-Raziqi mentioned in recent interviews on Al-Tahir Hassan Al-Tom’s podcast that former president Omar al-Bashir referred to a document during his military training in the U.S. in the 1980s that predicted Sudan would vanish from the map of nations. I read a similar claim by another military officer, so I contacted Mr. J. Stephen Morrison, former director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), who is now its deputy director and head of the health division. As you may know, he co-authored with Francis Deng the paper that laid the groundwork for the peace talks known as the “two-window state.” I asked him if he had seen any documents predating that paper which referenced the idea of Sudan disappearing. I knew he wouldn’t answer if such documents existed—and, as expected, he didn’t. But I hoped to gather something nonetheless.

The undeniable truth is that Sudan is troublesome and targeted. Samuel Huntington mentioned the Sudanese civil war in his book The Clash of Civilizations as a manifestation of this global clash.

Sudan confounds the West, as American writer Oscar Blayton observed in his piece Why Sudan Confounds the West. He explained that Sudan is culturally different from Sub-Saharan Africa even though it is geographically part of it. While much of Sub-Saharan Africa views the West with admiration and gratitude for pulling it out of darkness into modern civilization, Sudanese people don’t. They follow a different cultural trajectory rooted in the Middle East.

Sudan reaches deep into Africa’s heart, carrying Arab-Islamic culture, which challenges and competes with Western culture in influence and spread. Its impact is arguably stronger than that of much older North African states with deep-rooted Sultanates—whose influence was diminished by the Sahara and colonial interventions that aligned them more with Asia. Sudanese, due to proximity, shared features, and adaptation to the climate, have shaped a unique Afro-Arab Islamic culture that has become more influential than that in North African countries. Moreover, Sudan doesn’t stand out by skin color or ethnicity, making it a point of connection for Africans and a cradle of ancient civilizations. The British recognized this when they imposed the “Closed Districts Ordinance” in the south—from South Darfur to the Ingessana Hills—to curb the spread of this cultural influence. But it was in vain. Though the British succeeded politically in splitting the South from the rest of Sudan, the Arabic language persisted there, and today there are calls from the South to join the Arab League.

The Arab-Islamic culture in Sudan gained an African flavor due to geography and the solid grounding of Sudanese civilization. It was nourished by currents from West Africa, brought by the Almoravids and the Almohads, reaching Lake Chad centuries before the rise of Sennar. This later led to Sultanates like Wadai, Masalit, and Darfur, influenced by Ghana, Tekrur, Mali, and others. The bitter missionary Spencer Trimingham claimed that this cultural fusion intensified Sudanese Muslim zeal.

In conclusion, Sudan’s vast territories—from its urban centers in the West, East, Central, and North—adhere to Islam and speak Arabic, despite the presence of other languages. This cultural homogeneity is hard to ignore. It is a resilient national culture—despite all the rhetoric—and its bearers are the ones truly targeted, not the country itself. Efforts to prevent them from taking the reins of leadership come in many forms: political frameworks, “democratic” dictatorships masked in sharp suits, crackdowns on influential leaders. These are more cost-effective than wiping Sudan off the map. Many regional regimes oppress their people with brute force, and bringing Sudan into that fold while exploiting its vast resources in agriculture, minerals, and more is feasible.

That is our story.

The plans aim to undermine Sudan’s cultural potency. But we are convinced that Sudan will endure and triumph. As Al-Mutanabbi wrote:

> Fate shot me with so many misfortunes,
My heart is now shielded with arrows.
So when I’m hit again, the arrows break—
One on top of the other.
Hardships now mean little to me,
For I’ve gained nothing from worrying about them.

Indeed, hardships and conspiracies will never cease. They haven’t stopped since the days of the Romans and Persians—and they won’t. But Sudan’s vast wealth, while dwindling elsewhere, continues to attract envy. Plots will intensify. Yet Sudan won’t falter. Around a million have taken up arms, vowing that not one of them will fall without taking dozens of aggressors down with them. Their motto: Seek death, and life will be granted to you.

My salutations to you all—and to my cousin Professor Abdulrahman. I’m sure he only said what he said out of concern for Sudan’s survival. It is now your duty to roll up your sleeves, raise the banners, and be ready to defend it with all you have.