...Says, "Hello,my brothers."Inside Track On World News
By International Syndicated Columnist & Broadcaster--Eric Margolis <emargolis@lglobal.com>
FIRE AND SWORD IN THE SUDAN
by Eric Margolis
Jan. 27, 1997
...Says, "Hello,my brothers."Dangerous events are afoot in Black Africa. During my recent visitto Monaco, President Mobutu, the God-King of Zaire, lay gravely ill therewith spreading cancer. A small army of worried flunkies and retainers clusteredabout his villa, wondering what would befall them when the great chief died.
In a chilling replay of the 1960's, white mercenaries are beginning to flockto Kinshasa, the seedy Zairean capitol, preparing for an inevitable battlefor succession to determine who will rule and exploit Africa's great treasurehouse. A collapsing Zaire will shake Africa to its foundations, threateningwholesale warfare between the nation's 200 tribes.
Meanwhile, war is spreading in the south of Africa's largest nation, Sudan,a bewildering immensity that extends from the Egyptian border down intothe heart of Central Africa. Northern Sudan is Muslim by religion and culture;its peoples, like Ethiopians, Somalis and Eritreans, are Hamites: a darkskinned, but non-negroid race whose roots are Semitic.
South Sudan, by contrast, is inhabited by animist or Christian Nilotic tribesmenof negroid origin -like the famous naked Dinka, who still live in the IronAge. The two disparate parts of Sudan have been in conflict for decades.
In the 1960's and 70's, Israel and Ethiopia armed south Sudanese rebelsin an effort to destabilize the government in Khartoum. Oxfam and otherChristian `missionary' and `humanitarian' groups raised money and providedarms to the Sudanese rebels - which they do to this day in an effort toprevent the spread of Islam.
After a long bush war, the government managed to suppress the rebels. Butwhen a radical Islamic regime came to power in Sudan, foolishly pledgingto impose Islamic law on the south. The US and Egypt declared Sudan a `roguestate' and `promoter of terrorism.' They set about trying to overthrow theIslamic regime by promoting rebellion in the army, and by reopening aidto south Sudanese rebels - who by then were bitterly fighting among themselves.So far, about 1.5 million Sudanese have died in the long bush war, or fromstarvation caused by the conflict.
Last week, Khartoum charged it was being invaded on three fronts by troopsfrom neighboring Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Uganda. Anti-government Sudaneserebels have long been operating from bases in these three states, and strikingacross the border. This time, however, the invaders were well-armed andbacked by tanks and artillery - a sure sign that regular troops were involved,most likely from Ethiopia.
The United States has been devoting much energy and money to forging a regionalanti-Sudanese alliance. Rumors have circulated for months that CIA and EgyptianIntelligence were preparing an invasion force whose ultimate objective wasto march north to Khartoum. Washington has sharply increased economic andmilitary aid to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Uganda over the past year.
Why is the US so preoccupied over Sudan which, despite its vast size, hasonly 29 million people and no resources other than the Nile and fertileland? First, because the aggressive Islamic militancy of the Sudanese regime- much of which remains purely verbal - set of alarm bells in Washington,where Muslims under the mattresses is the current scare du jour. With Libyaand Iran isolated, and Iraq demolished, the US needs a new Islamic bogeymanto justify defense budgets and expanding intervention in the Mideast.
Dirt-poor, remote Sudan seems a pretty miserable choice, but it's all thatwas left. Second, Washington accuses Khartoum of aiding Islamic opponentsof Egypt's US-supported military government of President Husni Mubarak.An assassination attempt by Islamic militants against Mubarak in Addis Ababawas staged, claims the US and Egypt, from Sudan. This is likely true. Khartoumhas become a refuge for extremist Arab groups opposed to US domination ofthe Mideast and any sort of peace with Israel.
Washington is deeply nervous about its client Egypt, which contains 40%of the Arab World's population. Egyptian Islamic rebels have waged a long,bloody war against the Mubarak regime - which fights back with mercilessferocity. Even the remote threat of an Islamic revolution in Egypt basedfrom Sudan fills the US and Israel with dread. One good way to prevent thisis by squashing pesky Sudan.
Ethiopia, an historic enemy of Sudan, would also like to crush Khartoum.Just a century ago, the last great medieval battle of history occured inthe Horn of Africa as a huge army of Ethiopian Christian crusaders, composedof armored knights and spearmen, was defeated by the more nimble mountedwarriors of the Dervish army of Islamic Sudan.
Today, the remains of the Ethiopian Empire are at least 50% Muslim, perhaps54%, thanks to the fast-growing Oromo (don't call them Gallas - or else!)population. A Christian Tigrean regime now rules Ethiopia. Washington andAddis Ababa fear Sudan may rekindle demands by Muslim Ethiopians for politicalpower, or an independent state.
The clever Eritreans, themselves 50% Muslim, worry about Sudan and are deepin cahoots with Israel, which continues to pursue murky business at thestrategic mouth of the Red Sea.
All the above are now after undiplomatic Sudan's turbaned head. You don'tsee buttons in East Africa saying `Kiss Me I'm Sudanese!'
Copyright E. Margolis, January 1997
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