Nile repression: Sisi and Bashir join forces to preserve power

KHARTOUM – Sudanese activists in exile in Egypt say that they face repression and the threat of deportation after the Egyptian authorities refused to allow Sadiq Al-Mahdi, the Sudanese opposition leader, to return to Cairo after a peace conference in Germany [19659003] Mahdi, last Sudanese prime minister before President Omar al-Bashir took power. military state coup in 1989, entering Egypt, where he lives mainly since 2014, after landing at Cairo airport on July 1, was denied him.

Egyptian authorities did not explain why But members of Mahdi's National Ummah Party (NUP) told Middle East Eye that the Egyptian authorities had warned it not to attend the meeting. conference in Germany, where diplomats seek to facilitate peace talks between the two countries. South

And they fear that the Egyptian and Sudanese governments have reached an agreement to work together on the cancellation of political dissent.

Mariam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, the daughter of Sadiq al-Mahdi and the NUP vice president told Middle East Eye that her father had long maintained friendly relations with the Egyptian authorities, but also rejected any Egyptian interference in Sudanese affairs.

"Mahdi is open to consultations with the Egyptian authorities The approach to give orders and to intervene in the national decision-making is totally rejected." Mahdi's trip was related to the ". effort to achieve peace, stability and democracy in the country. Sudan. These are issues that go to the heart of Sudan's sovereignty, so any decision related to these issues should be made independently, without any foreign intervention or pressure. "

Party leader for 50 years

Mahdi, who led the NUP for 50 years and was prime minister between 1966 and 1967, then again from 1986 until his coalition government was was overthrown by Bashir three years later, remains an influential but controversial figure in Sudan.

He continues to be widely supported by supporters of the Sufi sectarian movement Ansar, and currently chairs the alliance of Opposition to Sudan

The Sudan Appeal is supported by the main rebel factions in Darfur, as well as by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N), which is fighting the Sudanese government in the states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, and the National Consensus Forces (NSF), a coalition of political parties opposed to the National Congress Party of Bashir

Mahdi lived in Egypt He spent three months in prison for criticizing the force militias s Fast Support (RSF) Government for alleged human rights violations and war crimes in Darfur and other troubled regions

. greeted by thousands of supporters at a rally in Omdurman – where he was born on Christmas day in 1935 – but risked being imprisoned when he finally returned to Sudan, where Bashir threatened to punishing political leaders who align

Sadiq al-Mahdi briefly returned to Sudan in January 2017, attending a rally in Omdurman (AFP)

But some in the opposition say that it is not the same. there is not much to separate it ideologically from the Sudanese Islamic movement that has controlled the country for the last 30 years.

It is also argued that it was the failures of Mahdi in the government, including his inability to stop the civil war with the rebels at this time. South Sudan created the conditions under which Bashir and the army were able to take control.

Alhaj Warrag, a Sudanese journalist, does not agree, saying that Mahdi is a moderate religious leader committed to democracy. "It aims to reach a negotiated solution with the current regime in Sudan, but that's because it is eager to avoid chaos in the country and because of

the center of the opposition

Cairo has long been a hub for members of the Sudanese opposition, who have traditionally enjoyed good relations with the Egyptian governments of Presidents Hosni Mubarak and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. as a sympathizer to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt also accused Khartoum of accommodating members of the Brotherhood who fled to Sudan after the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi by Sisi during 39, a coup d'état in 2013. [19659003] Hundreds of alleged supporters of the Brotherhood were arrested and sentenced to death in Egypt in a crackdown on dissent described by Human Rights Watch as "the worst human rights crisis" of the man in the country for decades "

. Cairo includes an ongoing border dispute over the mineral-rich Halaib Triangle region on the Red Sea coast, and Egyptian concerns over the construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia, which Sudan supports.

But Sudanese activists told MEE that Bashir and Sisi seem to have agreed to put aside their differences because of mutual interest in suppressing any political opposition to their rule.

An activist living in Egypt, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told MEE that there were others seeking to move to other countries and have stated that the Egyptian authorities had already begun to disrupt their political activities.

"There is much indication that the Egyptian authorities prohibit and can expel opposition activists.Our activities have been banned for many months and many other restrictions have been imposed on our permits. stay, "he said.

Egypt is very anxious to stop the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood on its southern border

– Abas Alamin, Sudanese security badyst

While the Sudanese government n & # 39; Mahdi's case, a diplomat told MEE that the Sudanese and Egyptian officials had already accepted a mutual repression of their respective oppositions in exile The relations between the two countries are "normalizing"

The Fraternity expelled

Sudan has reportedly expelled dozens of Egyptians accused of ties to the Brotherhood, some traveling to Turkey and others to Malaysia, according to the al-Hayat newspaper.

The issue was discussed between Bashir and Sisi during presidential summits, said the diplomat, expressing himself under the guise of anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media. 19659003] "The question of the presence of the leaders of the Sudanese opposition was one of the obstacles to the establishment of normal relations between our two countries." The Egyptian authorities have only undertaken to stop the activities. of opposition, "he said.

Bashir and Sisi met last March at the presidential palace in Cairo, a few days before Sisi was reelected in the elections without opposition.

"We have timed our visit to reaffirm our support for stability in Egypt and for President Sisi," Bashir said at a press conference.

Sisi said that men had discussed ways to achieve and promote our common interests. of our full respect for [each country’s] internal affairs and joint efforts to maintain the national security of both countries. "

Bashir (L) visited Sisi in Cairo in March this year (AFP)

Abas Alamin, a Sudanese security badyst told MEE that the governments of Cairo and Khartoum had adopted repressive agendas Similar political problems

"Security concerns now lead to the normalization of ties between the two sides", said Alamin. "The security apparatuses of both countries are constantly seeking to cancel, or expel or expel, any form of opposition. And Egypt is very eager to stop the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood on its southern borders. "

Credibility and Influence

Analysts also believe that the regional dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where Egypt has sided with Riyadh's political badyst Ahmed El- Imam told MEE that Sudan had been pushed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to normalize its relations with Egypt, while the recent reconciliation between Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates was overdue. Eritrea after years of hostility may have also encouraged the governments of both countries to take a more conciliatory approach.

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Gulf Tension: Egypt and Sudan Are- 19659048] "The Gulf conflict put the two countries under pressure, and they were already suffering from similar security and economic crises," said Imam (19659003). two Member countries were under pressure from different parties Middle East and African region to withdraw from a confrontation. "

But Hbadan Berkia, a political badyst, told MEE that the new Egyptian policy could have a cost.

" The Egyptian authorities' decision to prevent Mahdi from entering ended the long-standing policy that differentiated the Sudanese people from the Islamic government in Khartoum, "said Berkia, clear that Egypt stands with the Sudanese regime against its people.This could cost Egypt a great deal of its credibility and influence in Sudan in the future. "