Presence of Al-Qaeda in Sudan
Presence of Al-Qaeda in SudanBy: Mishary Al-Dhaidi
With the possibility of continued war and chaos in Sudan, we hope that the increasing likelihood of terrorist groups exploiting this situation to establish a permanent presence in the region will not come to pass. Al-Qaeda, for example, could take advantage of this chaos.
Historically, Sudan, during the days of Hassan Al-Turabi and his partner Omar al-Bashir, before their disagreement, was a haven for terrorists and the military wings of jihadist Islamic movements. Prominent figures like Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al-Zawahiri were among those hosted by Al-Turabi, Al-Bashir, and their group.
In early February 2022, the Beit Al-Maqdis media organization, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, published a book titled "The Forgotten Prince" by Abu Hudaifa Al-Sudani, a leader of Al-Qaeda. The book incited terrorist attacks and the establishment of jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda inside Sudan.
Abu Hudaifa Al-Sudani is one of the most important Sudanese leaders of Al-Qaeda. In the book, he admitted to receiving a direct order from Osama bin Laden to carry out a terrorist operation against a Saudi military base near the city of Al-Kharj, south of Riyadh, in 2001. When his plan was revealed, he fled from Saudi Arabia to Iraq and was later handed over to Sudan, where he was imprisoned for a while before being extradited to Saudi Arabia.
In the book, Abu Hudaifa incited Al-Qaeda supporters to take advantage of Sudan's security instability to launch attacks in favor of Al-Qaeda. He also urged supporters inside Sudan to start forming jihadist cells and establishing a presence for Al-Qaeda in the country.
According to some readings, Abu Hudaifa's speech focuses on a "latent" key figure currently inside Sudan, which poses a significant danger. He directed his encrypted message to this mysterious man, describing him as "the forgotten prince" and "Zarqawi of Sudan," asking him to start preparing and equipping jihadist groups inside the country.
This "Zarqawi of Sudan" is one of the ancient Arab Afghans who went to Afghanistan during Soviet hegemony and enjoys the trust of the veteran generation of Al-Qaeda, such as Abu Burhan, the Syrian.
The current situation in Sudan seems tempting to Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and perhaps other groups. Al-Qaeda has its internal engines, consisting of intellectual dysfunction, the literature of polar jihad, and the works of Abdullah Azzam and others. It also has external engines, including cooperation with entities like the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and possibly others in the distant West.
We do not wish for this, but it is an alarm bell. We may soon see the first statement and video about the establishment of the first jihadist group in Sudan under the name "Al-Qaeda in the Nile Valley." May God help Egypt to the west, east, north, and south.
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