In Sudan, a coup d’état against the backdrop of geopolitical and regional struggles for influence – archyworldys

Rarely has a coup d’etat been as announced and expected as that led by the military in Sudan on Monday, October 25, placing General Abdel Fattah Al-Bourhane at the head of the country. And those who hoped to oppose it failed to do so, starting with the United States. Of course, the Sudanese situation is complex. Technically, General Al-Bourhane was already ruling the country before the coup, but in a situation of forced power sharing, and within the framework of institutions tied to a transitional timetable, which meant he should have s ‘erase soon, – from November 17, potentially – for the benefit of a civilian leader.

Neither the army, nor its allies inside the country, nor some of its external allies – Egypt in the lead – had resolved to this handover halfway through the transition (which is due to end in 2023 with elections), because that would mean losing any chance of remaining in power. Leaves, then, to challenge the United States, favorable to the transition, and to question the balance of power and alliances in the Horn of Africa where external influences are multiplying.

The game currently being played out in this part of the world involves both American ambitions to counter China, those of Russia to extend its area of ​​influence, as well as the aims of the Gulf countries, Turkey, and other less visible actors, to whom the growing chaos offers favorable opportunities. Ethiopia, already at war, is frantically seeking support outside, especially in Turkey. The fragile Somali power is on the verge of collapse. Only Sudan, for almost two years, had been seen as a pole of stability in the making and a showcase for the virtues of democracy, to the point of having taken on unprecedented importance on international radars. From now on, another phase begins, against the backdrop of struggles for influence taking precedence over the aspirations of the peoples.

“Normalization” of relations with Israel

Since a non-violent popular movement had succeeded in bringing down, in 2019, the former dictator Omar Al-Bashir after thirty years of Islamic-military rule, the country was ruled by transitional authorities. An executive body, the Sovereignty Council, where both civilians and soldiers sat until Monday morning, had the task of leading the nation until the elections, while letting it be administered, day by day, by a government said to be of technocrats.

It was with this formula of governance that Sudan had just regained its place on the international scene, after decades of isolation. In this context, he had signed, in January 2021, the so-called “Abraham” agreements for a rapprochement with Israel and obtained the promise of financial assistance from the United States, a few weeks after Khartoum’s withdrawal from the American list. states accused of financing terrorism. It was already General Al-Bourhane who had taken the first official step, announcing in February 2020 in Kampala, Uganda, the “Standardization” relations with the Hebrew state. The plan, then, was geopolitical, favoring the projects of Washington, an ally of Israel. Now alone in command of the country, the general reiterated Tuesday his support for this normalization, seeming to send an indirect message to the United States.

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