Supporting the brothers: Details of the Arab States Alliance to expel Turkey from Swakin

Islam el-Mansi

The recent Sudanese decision to end the Suakin agreement with Turkey came as a practical translation of the new Sudan going away from the axis of Qatar and Turkey, and its proximity to the Arab brothers.

The Turkish newspaper Al-Zaman highlighted the decision of the transitional military council in Sudan to stop the agreement signed by the ousted Omar al-Bashir with Turkey two years ago.

Bashir signed an agreement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during the latter’s visit to Khartoum in 2017, to hand over management of the island of Suakin in the Red Sea to Ankara to invest in, and the establishment of a military base.

Ankara’s acquisition of a reconstruction and restoration project on the western coast of the Red Sea in eastern Sudan has fueled fears in the region that it would be an advanced base for the Turkish regime.

According to local news websites, Sudan has given Turkey a deadline to evacuate the island of Suakin, ending the agreement signed between the two sides.

Turkey has suspended work on the island of Suakin, following protests against Bashir about five months ago.

Turkey has established military bases in Somalia and the Swakin Islands in Sudan, as well as another military base in Qatar, as some experts point to the “military triangle” used by Turkey to contain Arab states.

Swakin is strategically located on the western coast of the Red Sea, a historic area of ​​20 square kilometers. It was once the main port on which Sudan relies, which is the link between Africa and Asia.

Suakin had an important position in the Ottoman Empire and was the center of its navy in the Red Sea. Its port annexed the seat of the Ottoman governor of the southern Red Sea between 1821 and 1885.

Observers believe that the Sudanese calls to end the work of this agreement comes out of their concern for the friendly relations and good neighborly relations between their country and the Arab and African countries that refuse to intervene and the Turkish incursion on the continent, but also warn him.

After Cairo took over the presidency of the African Union in February, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri warned of the role of Ankara in the African continent, stressing the need to face any external interference, especially with the exposure of some of them in support of terrorist organizations.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have offered a joint package of aid to the Republic of Sudan, totaling $3 billion, of which $500 million provided by the two countries as a deposit in the Central Bank to strengthen its financial position, ease the pressure on the Sudanese pound and achieve greater stability in the exchange rate.

This comes in addition to spending the rest of the amount to meet the urgent needs of the brotherly Sudanese people, including food, medicine and oil derivatives.

The Arab League expressed its support for the decisions of the Transitional Military Council.

Sudan is a key partner in the military alliance led by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi against the Huthis in Yemen. Thousands of Sudanese troops are battling the ranks of the alliance, which began operations in March 2015.

The Central Bank of Sudan raised the value of the national currency by about 4% to 45 pounds to the dollar, after Arab aid.