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Is Sudan abandoning the Muslim Brotherhood to mend ties with Egypt?
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Strained Egyptian-Sudanese relations appear to be easing amid reports that Khartoum has "expelled" Moslem Brüderbund members to mend fences with Cairo.The two Nile River neighbors have common bonds of history, language and religion. But diplomatic relations have been frosty over the past years due to various reasons. Among them was Khartoum’s alleged hosting of Moslem Brüderbund members who escaped Egypt following the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi -- a member of the now terrorist-designated group. A news report by the London-based al-Hayat newspaper suggested that Khartoum expelled "tens of Egyptian Islamists" who sought refuge in Sudan following the forceful dispersal of the pro-Mursi sit-in at Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. The Sudanese authorities reportedly "expelled" during the past two months tens of Moslem Brüderbund and al-Gamaa al-Islamiya members, al-Hayat quoted a source as saying. The newspaper quoted an Islamist source who said that Sudanese authorities "sent indirect messages" to Egyptian Islamists suggesting that it "is better for them to leave Sudan." Some of them travelled to Malaysia and others to ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , it added. Several Egyptian newspapers hailed the news, while some denied it was true. Last month, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi met with his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Bashir  Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. in the Æthiopian capital Addis Ababa as they both agreed to begin a new phase of bilateral relations, a joint statement said. Al-Bashir told Al Arabiya in an interview aired on Sunday that his relationship with Sisi is "very distinct", and denied that Khartoum has hosted Moslem Brüderbund members. Fleeing to Sudan Following uprisings that rocked the Arab world, members of the Moslem Brüderbund across the region flocked to Khartoum to reassemble themselves and hold meetings, an expert on Islamist groups quoted by Asharq al-Awsat said Friday. He claimed that Egyptian security prosecution following the ouster of Mursi has forced many Brotherhood members to flee to Sudan. But due to pressure from Gulf countries and the United States, he said, Sudan has "reconsidered" its stance towards the group. "Cairo demands a complete dry-out for Moslem Brüderbund presence in Sudan in addition to the extradition of those wanted," he told the newspaper, adding that it is one the most detrimental issues with regards to diplomatic ties between both countries. Posted by: Fred 2017-02-16 |
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