Iran used religion, culture to control Sudan under Bashir

Mohamed Abdelghaffar

Ousted Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, helped Iran increase its influence in his country over the years of his rule.

Iranian proxies

Sudan is an important country for Iran. This was why the Islamic Republic was always keen on empowering its proxies in the country.

The former Iranian minister of defense described Sudan as a “cornerstone” in his country strategy in Africa.

The former Iranian president, Akbar Hashemi Rasfsanjani, visited Sudan in 1991. This came only two months after the ousting of the government of al-Sadek al-Mahdi during a coup that was led by Bashir. The visit also came at a time Sudan suffered isolation imposed on it by the international community.

Arms

Iran depended on the following arms to increase its influence in Sudan:

1 – Religious arm:

Sudan is predominantly Sunni. Nonetheless, the model set by the Islamic Revolution in Iran was inspiring for a large number of Islamist movements, including the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood movement which ruled Sudan with Bashir’s accession to power.

2 – Cultural arm:

Iran’s strategy inside Sudan was mainly a cultural one, using the permission Bashir’s government gave for it to establish cultural centers across Sudan.

3 – Military arm:

Iran used the international isolation Sudan suffered because of Bashir’s wrong policies in increasing its influence in the country. It offered sizeable military support to Sudan. In 1993, Iran bankrolled the purchase of 20 attack fighter jets from China. It offered $17 million in financial support to Sudan in the following year. In 1995, an Iranian military delegation visited Khartoum and offered $300 million in financial support, armored vehicles and radars.

In 2008, the two countries signed an agreement for increasing intelligence and military industry cooperation.

Relations based on interests

Iran’s mullahs used the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in power in Sudan to gain a foothold in the country.

Relations between the two countries continued to expand until Bashir’s ousting in April 2019.

The anti-Bashir revolution opened the door for a severing of links between the two countries.

Sudan participated in a Saudi-led military operation against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.