Anfal By: Badr El-Din Abdel-Rahman “Wad Ibrahim” Sudanese-American Relations: Regional Security or Ambition?

Anfal

By: Badr El-Din Abdel-Rahman “Wad Ibrahim”

Sudanese-American Relations: Regional Security or Ambition?

Sudan is considered one of the most important countries possessing a geopolitical character that has made it a focal point for modern colonial ambitions, which have surfaced intensely in recent events. These ambitions have taken shape according to intersecting interests, yet they generally agree on the importance of Sudan’s maritime outlet on the Red Sea and emphasize the presence of vast economic wealth, including oil, gold, minerals, livestock, and more. Furthermore, there is a deep-rooted connection between Sudanese national security and the security of the region as a whole.

Amidst this, the visit of Sudan’s Intelligence Director, Ahmed Ibrahim Mufaddal, to the United States took place. According to leaked reports, the visit discussed files related to counter-terrorism and Red Sea security. Inseparable from these files are issues concerning transnational crime, human trafficking, narcotics, and illegal migration.

Communication between Sudanese and American intelligence is not the first of its kind; it was preceded by talks held at various periods since the era of President Al-Bashir, led by Ibrahim Ghandour, a leader in the ruling party and Foreign Minister at the time. These efforts culminated in the lifting of economic sanctions imposed at a later stage.

What is noteworthy is that Mufaddal’s visit coincided with a tour by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landon to East Africa (Ethiopia, Egypt, Djibouti, Uganda), primarily discussing regional security issues. This coincides with fractures, collapses, wars, and conflicts of various natures; however, their ultimate goal remains the destabilization of regional security to facilitate control over it.

Sudanese-American understandings related to the context of intelligence, information, security, analysis, and surveillance could lead to several outcomes, including:

• Preserving the territorial integrity of Sudan.

• Ensuring Sudan’s stability and non-interference in its sovereignty.

• Tightening the grip on transnational armed organizations.

• Reaching the highest level of security cooperation between the two countries.

• Calculations of mutual interest between the two countries could lead to an end to the ongoing war.

Between these factors, the United States seeks to curtail Russian, Chinese, and Iranian influence in Sudan and the region more broadly, especially since this alliance is considered the sole international competitor to America in its African spheres of influence.

Meanwhile, the United States plans to utilize the Sudanese influence that has formed in the region, which resulted from the outcomes of CISSA conferences—the meetings of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services of Africa—which Sudan sponsored during Al-Bashir’s rule. These outcomes played a role in stabilizing African security through combating terrorism and organized crime.

The final word remains: the relationship between Sudan and America is governed by rules of extended and continuous impact, through which the scenario illustrating the tools of the international and regional game aimed at controlling the region is shaped. These are rules that, if the Sudanese government utilizes them effectively, could be the reason for suppressing many of the crises that have hindered, and continue to hinder, development and progress in the country.