Saudi Arabia and the UAE rescue Sudan from the triangle of evil

Doaa Emam and Asmaa al-Batakoshi

The triangle of evil: Qatar, Turkey and the Brotherhood

The Brotherhood’s hawks in Sudan are seeking consensus with the Transitional Military Council following the fall of President Omar al-Bashir in order to preserve their interests, which are threatened by the arrival of the revolutionary forces to authority. The group, which was part of the former regime, claims that it participated in the revolution through its bases and that the leadership of the group supported the revolution from the first day.

The Qatari-Turkish support for the Brotherhood elements who reached the state apparatus during the period of empowerment is particularly evident, especially as Sudanese reports warn of the process of equipping the Brotherhood’s leaders in the coming period to control the state again through elections and hold positions in the transitional period.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the rescue mission

In order to support the Sudanese people and ease their suffering so as not to be swayed by the Brotherhood, the UAE and Saudi Arabia announced a $3 billion grant, including $500 million from the two countries deposited in the Central Bank of Sudan, to ease pressure on the pound and meet the Sudanese people’s urgent needs for food, medicine and oil products.

The aid package from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi underscores the high coordination between Saudi Arabia and the UAE and their sincere desire to support Sudan, which has experienced a difficult period, and to provide humanitarian assistance with the aim of alleviating the suffering of Arab peoples, considering it emergency support until the establishment of state institutions after the transitional period.

The Brotherhood’s game: Trading in religion and the secular scarecrow

Brotherhood bloggers took steps throughout the group’s various stages in Sudan, during which they renounced Bashir and the spiritual father of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al-Turabi, and promoted their own participation in the Sudanese revolution, warning against turning the government into a secular system.

In an attempt to clean their reputation and attack the revolution, they said that the group had no representation with the government or the regime and that Turabi had participated in the government during the Gaafar Nimeiry regime. They also sought to get out from under Bashir’s cloak by asserting that he was connected to Turabi and was a member of the National Islamic Front, while the mother group refused to ally with him.

“Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have contributed to maintaining the situation in Sudan in general and preventing the arrival of extremist currents or currents similar to the former regime in the framework of security and military coordination between Sudan and Egypt,” said Hesham al-Baqali, director of the political studies unit at the Salman-Zayed Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

Regarding the assistance provided by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, Baqali explained that they contribute to raise the level of the central bank, so as to keep Sudan from being subjected to any kind of pressure or blackmail from some countries such as Turkey and Qatar, which are trying to penetrate countries suffering political and security crises in order to achieve their objectives.

Baqali added that the three countries are helping Sudan to pass through its current transitional phase, in addition to helping it reach stability and hand over the government to a citizen-elected administration.

It is known that Bashir’s government was close to the Turkish and Qatari sides, as well as the international organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, Baqali said, adding that there were some agreements signed with some of the state sponsors of terrorism. With the change of the regime, all such agreements, such as the Swakin Agreement, were canceled. The popular rejection of the Qatari delegation’s visit to Sudan indicated a state of awareness among the Sudanese people and the Transitional Military Council in the country.