Al-Qaeda’s Interest in the Sudanese Front

In a recently released speech, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the second-in-command of al-Qaeda, discussed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and alleged designs of the West in Sudan, reinforces al-Qaeda’s continued interest in pursuing jihad in that country and re-establishing al-Qaeda's presence. In that speech, issued to jihadist forums on March 24, 2009, Zawahiri addressed Sudanese Muslims, particularly those in Darfur, urging they take lessons from fighters in Iraq and Somalia in combating the future Western military presence in Sudan. His overtures are akin to those made by Usama bin Laden in April 2006, when the al-Qaeda leader asked fighters in Sudan and the region to “prepare everything needed to conduct a long-term war against the Crusader thieves in western Sudan.” This exhortation ignited significant activity on jihadist forums, where users contributed information about the Sudanese landscape and how one should prepare for the terrain, as well as provocations for physical jihad to retain the Muslim identity of the country. In the near three-year span between the bin Laden and Zawahiri recordings, the subject of Sudan has repeatedly been raised by al-Qaeda leaders and jihadists, demonstrating their interest in igniting jihad in Sudan.

Between 1992 and 1996, bin Laden and al-Qaeda were active in Sudan, assisting the Sudanese government and setting up training camps. Since its expulsion, al-Qaeda has viewed the Sudanese government as weak and acting as agents of the West, sacrificing interests in Islam for political and selfish gain. Bin Laden’s April 2006 speech followed UN intervention in Sudan’s civil war, brokering a peace agreement between the Sudanese government in the north and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in the south. To al-Qaeda's dismay, the agreement entailed the south being able to separate from the north after six years, thereby dividing a Muslim state into a Muslim north and a Christian south. Bin Laden also called the conflict in Darfur a “conspiracy” by the West to create civil war between regional tribes in order to justify Western military intervention under the guise of peacekeeping. The reality of the Darfur conflict and dimension of the north-south peace agreement, bin Laden says, is that the West, led by the US, seeks to use its military and political strength to plunder Sudan of its oil and to eliminate Sudan’s Muslim identity. He says:

Following bin Laden’s speech, jihadists responded to his urging fighters to learn about Darfur and neighboring areas in Sudan. In May and June 2006, members of al-Hesbah, an al-Qaeda-affiliated online forum, posted messages explaining routes to Sudan, its tribal composition, and how jihad may be successful in that country. One user claimed that fighters successfully established a camp for jihad in Sudan. Another user suggested to fighters in Sudan how best to emulate groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq, such as killing spies and enemy forces and displaying their bodies prominently in public, as well as kidnapping enemies. He added that fighters in Sudan must specifically target not only spies, but employees of foreign institutions, those who “serve the aggressive occupier and refuse to respond to the demand of the mujahideen to get out of Islamic Sudan.” On January 1, 2008, a group calling itself “Ansar al-Tawhid” claimed the murder of a US diplomat in Sudan, John Granville, and his Sudanese driver, Abdul Rahman Abbas. They accused the “Crusaders” of seeking to “raise the cross over the land of Sudan.”

In September 2006, Zawahiri repeated bin Laden’s call for jihad in Sudan, explaining to Sudanese Muslims that Darfur will be a future battlefield and jihad is the only means to defend their religion and themselves. The Sudanese government, he said, had proven itself not only ineffective against foreign encroachment but was fulfilling the role of an “agent” to ignite war and strife. He declared:

The issue of Sudan received mention in various al-Qaeda releases in 2007 and 2008 from both Usama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, demonstrating their continued interest in fomenting violent jihad in the country. Bin Laden reiterated his call to war as part of a speech released on jihadist forums in October 2007, saying that it is the “duty” of Muslims in Sudan and its environs, the Arabian Peninsula in particular, to perform jihad against “Crusader” forces and to “wage armed rebellion to remove those who let them in.” Zawahiri, in an interview released in November 2008 with the al-Qaeda media arm, as-Sahab, repeated that Sudan is targeted by the West for its Islamic character and “Arabness.” He also commented on the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, calling it “divine predestination” that as he evicted al-Qaeda and exposed them to dangers, now he is being pursued regardless of the “favors” he provided to the enemy.

Map of Sudan

Zawahiri’s March 2009 speech, “The Crusade Sets Its Sights on the Sudan,” is the first speech by an al-Qaeda leader to focus solely on Sudan and Darfur, and synthesizes all that al-Qaeda said in previous years in making an argument to initiate a jihad in Sudan. He argues that Western sympathy towards Darfur and the ICC warrant for Bashir is a canard to justify foreign intervention in Sudan. To meet this threat, Sudanese Muslims must fight back physically with jihad. He says: