Sudan’s Wars: Resource Motives and Geostrategic Location

• Sudan’s Wars: Resource Motives and Geostrategic Location

Written by: Dr. Abdul Aziz Noor Ashar

Since ancient times, Sudan’s various peoples and kingdoms have shared with other peoples the bounty of a vast land, a land with the longest river in the world, the eternal Nile, and the oldest civilization of mankind, the Kushite civilization, on its banks. After its establishment, it welcomed waves of human migration, as well as the migration of the Celestial Judaism and Christianity, Islam, however, the later Sudan suffered the so-called “resource curse” in the war-torn resources of Africa. The abundance of resources, both hidden and obvious, and the unique geostrategic location have been a motivation for invaders throughout ancient, modern and contemporary history. The Treaty of Bakt, signed in 651 AD, was motivated by the invaders in exchange for human and economic resources from an analytical point of view, although the campaign had other goals.
The Christian and Islamic kingdoms of Sudan were subjected to external aggressive campaigns targeting the human and economic resources of these kingdoms and the Sultanate, and the social memory of the Darfur State records the phenomenon of “Um Kawakiya” (from Um Kwak), a state of complete chaos with social conditions similar to what is happening in Sudan today. Due to the activities of unknown foreign invaders, they had the characteristics and qualities of today’s Janjaweed and had the same motivations and behaviors. Killing, pillage and destruction.
In historical fact, the main motivations (men and gold) for Muhammad Ali Pasha’s expedition against the Sultan in 1821 AD were the two key elements of Albanian Muhammad Ali Pasha’s dream of establishing an empire parallel to the Ottoman Empire.
From 1898 to 1956, the British colonial rule over Sudan achieved its greatest economic goal by developing Sudan’s resources. The cotton produced by the Gezira Project in Sudan was able to compete with American cotton on a global scale, and Sudan’s agricultural exports effectively exacerbated the deteriorating economic situation. Due to the high cost of the British Empire’s colonies, known as the “sun never sets” and its vast territory, the colonists only concentrated the production area in Sudan. Sudan’s history points out that the British colonists divided Sudan into two Sudans: Useful Sudan: It is the part that covers the plundered resource belt.
As for what is left of the Sudan, it is useless according to its purpose.
In the eyes of greedy powers, Sudan is either a natural reserve of resources and raw materials for the same future powers, or a land of conflicts and wars, lest this monster wake up from its slumber and crisis, just as Napoleon Bonaparte, about 200 years ago, in a similar case, recommended to put the Chinese giant to sleep: “China is sleeping.” So let him sleep, because if he wakes up, the world will shake.
Whenever the degree of industrial, commercial and economic competition between the great powers expands and the demand for basic materials for important industries increases, Sudan’s importance as a rich repository and treasure house of rare and globally depleted resources re-emerges, and Sudan’s geostrategic importance increases with time. The degree of competition between the same great powers on waterways and global trade routes increases due to Sudan’s view of one of the most important of these waterways – the Red Sea and the strategically important Horn of Africa region, as well as its unique geographical location, which is a real bridge connecting the four directions of the continent.
New aggression against Sudan and fourth and fifth generation wars
The greedy international powers designed the war against Sudan through the theory of the fourth and fifth generation of wars in order to achieve the goal of controlling Sudan and its resources. These powers did not use their soldiers and resources, but used internal tools. The current war in Sudan is a typical case of such wars. It is considered a development of such wars. There is one person who generously bears the cost of the war as an alternative to the greedy powers. This is the United Arab Emirates. The fourth and fifth generation of wars are characterized by the use of internal conflicts and fragile centers of the country to trigger the war. They are characterized by the identity of political and military lines and the use of the weaknesses of internal fronts and structures. The purpose of the framework agreement was to take over Sudan politically through these proxies, but political and social forces thwarted the plan, causing it to become a failed coup. The conspiracy of the militia leaders and the evolution into an uncalculated war have led the forces that planned the conspiracy to turn to several scenarios, including:
Tried to take control of Sudan through all-out war, but failed, turned to take control of Darfur and declared a militia state. When that failed, tried to save the militias through the ruse of humanitarian intervention.

Sudan Options:

First: In order to avoid divisions and threats to national security, sovereignty and national unity, Sudan’s only option is to win the upcoming war of aggression, and it must not worry about weakening Sudan’s cohesion through bomb-filled initiatives. Its internal front is aimed at suspending conspiracies and aggression, which will restore its national and regional balance and enable it to rebuild itself on the basis of historical teachings and personal experience.
Second: Sudan cannot escape rebuilding and strengthening its defense capabilities to reach the stage of strategic deterrence in its revival plan, because the balance between interests and threats requires the condition of force, as Sudan’s owner, the classical realist theory in international relations believes that force is synonymous with national interests, and in a world full of conflicts and ripples, national interests can only be protected through balance of power, and so does the most famous theorist of this school. Hans Morgenthau pointed out in his famous book “Politics among Nations” that Sudan must rebuild armed forces that are superior to all armies in the region and the region in terms of armaments, equipment and numbers, which is a national mission of the highest priority in the context of the national revival plan.
Third: mobilizing and developing all human and natural resources of Sudan, taking advantage of the characteristics of its geostrategic location, and rebuilding Sudan in a comprehensive renaissance and development, taking into account Sudan’s comparative advantages in huge areas, in addition to many other areas. Water reserves and 200 million acres of land suitable for agriculture are the elements of an agricultural revolution, making Sudan one of the leading countries in agricultural economy.
Fourth: Economic cooperation and integration with regional and international powers based on common interests, benefits and interdependence, allowing greedy powers to achieve their interests through cooperation rather than conspiracy.
Fifth: Sudan is a country that has suffered from war and hardship, has won the battle for survival, has a civilization and rare geographical and environmental characteristics, has strong economic strength, strong national and political cohesion, has a certain military deterrence capability, is committed to regional stability and has constructive economic cooperation with everyone and supporters of global security and peace.