Another Front in Cold War II, Part I

Is There More Behind the Scenes of the Fighting in Sudan?

The Biden administration successfully evacuated Americans from the United States Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan after fighting emerged between once allies General Abdel Fattah Burhan and Lieutenant General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (also called “Hemedti”), right? It was a heroic and daring helicopter rescue, at least that is what you will hear in the corporate media. Oh, there is a civil war going on in gold- and oil-rich Sudan, but the United States government is not involved in the country and does not want the resources. No, why would it? There just happened to be 16,000 Americans there (some of which are still there), and now, the Biden administration is getting ready to take whatever actions are necessary to ensure that its interests remain intact. Could it be that the conflict in Sudan is just another front on Cold War II between the United States and the growing Russia-China alliance?

President Joe Biden issued an executive order (legislating on his own and bypassing Congress) to prepare for economic sanctions against Sudan and any individuals who are not allowing “democracy” (democracy to Biden is whatever he wants the term to mean in regards to his agenda) to transition into the war-torn country, and reconnaissance drones have been activated between Khartoum (capital) and Port Sudan (an important Red Sea city). In addition, he is readying American troops to be sent to Port Sudan, and even if they will not ultimately make their way to the country, a new surge of troops is already being deployed to nearby Djibouti. Special forces are on standby, and make no mistake that the Biden administration is itching for another conflict, especially one that can harm Russia.

The United States government’s involvement in the African nation has included: the Clinton administration’s 1998 missile strikes against a pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum (killing civilians and destroying a key research facility), which had no connection to al-Qaeda or the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania or Kenya; sanctions implemented from 1997 to 2017 (sanctions were gradually lifted from 2017, and the country was removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list in 2020); actions taken against Sudan for the Darfur genocide; support and supplying of weapons and equipment to the South Sudanese secessionist movement, which finally hit success in 2011 (the United States government can advocate for “stealing” land against enemy states like Sudan or Serbia, but breakaway regions in Ukraine or other allied states cannot be permitted to leave their political situations); and the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) aid to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars (with political strings attached). It is clear that the heavy history of involvement in Sudan is coming home to roost, and we can be sure that the Biden administration will be there to continue meddling and messing things up further in the upcoming weeks. Maybe we should not allow our chickens to roam so far from the coop.

So, what makes this another battlefield in Cold War II? What about Russia and China and how they are involved in Sudan? China has been in the process of expanding its business operations in Africa, and it has invested in infrastructure projects in thirty-five African countries (from Libya to Nigeria to Zambia). Such projects have included those creating or improving dams, power plants, ports, roads, railways, canals, and water sanitation facilities. Beijing has spent over one billion dollars in Sudan to build the El Gaili Combined Cycle Power Plant and other thermal power, coal-powered, and gas-powered plants in Port Sudan, Al-Fulah, and Rabak, in addition to constructing the Dongola-Halfa pipeline and the Dibaybat-Malakal road. There are also proposed railways, including the Egyptian-Sudanese one from Aswan to Khartoum, and canals, like the Jonglei Canal from South Sudan to Egypt. Chinese-backed development in Africa means that the United States misses out on opportunities and the ability to exercise imperial power over the continent, so we should not be surprised if there is sabotage.

Russia is also heavily involved in Sudan. On February 11, 2023 (just a few months ago), the Sudanese government (under General Burhan) agreed to revive an agreement that would allow the Russian military to deploy naval troops to Port Sudan and establish a base there. Kenyan writer and journalist David John Bwakali believes that this is the primary reason for the recent fighting, which has led to hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, and evacuations of foreign workers. It seems unlikely that the timing is coincidental, and there is no way that the Biden administration would sit idly by while Russia increases its presence in Sudan, but even if the military deployment to Sudan is a cause of the renewed civil conflict, the waters are muddied by the actions of Russia’s Wagner Group.

These mercenaries are involved in the fighting in Ukraine and Syria (other fronts of Cold War II), but in Sudan, the organization is looking to secure gold deposits that are heavy in the region (as the ruble and the new potential BRICS currency may rely on gold backing, more of the resource will be needed). Russia began patrolling and collecting from the gold mines through its M Invest-Meroe Gold company and under the presidency of Omar al-Bashir (the one who presided over the Darfur genocide and was indicted by the International Criminal Court in 2005), and the mining operations continued, despite 2020 United States Department of Treasury sanctions against M Invest and protests resulting in the deposition of al-Bashir in 2019 (American intervention?).

What makes this complicated is the fact that since the Russian government has a deal with General Burhan and the gold is controlled by General Dagalo’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Russia must balance both sides of the equation. Could it be that the Biden administration has deployed CIA or JSOC agents to cause a divide between the two generals and harm the influence that Russia has in Sudan? Or, is all of this just a coincidence, and the fact that the United States and Russia and China all have interests in the country has nothing to do with the fighting?

After the al-Bashir coup in 2019, a transition government took over, and some believed that this would turn the country into a democracy. However, such prospects were halted by yet another coup in 2021, which saw the Western-supported government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok fall to a military junta. Now, civil war threatens the country, as Burhan and Dagalo (the two generals who collaborated to seize power in 2021 and have strong ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) compete for prestige of their armies’ forces and control of the entire country.

The fighting also brings up concerns about biological laboratories, which contain materials and “isolates” of polio, cholera, and measles. It is weird how there were biolabs in Ukraine (American officials denied this, but it turns out that they were lying), and now, another country with research that could lead to another pandemic is the center of more fighting. Are there forces at work that would like to see the world on the verge of more medical emergencies? Nah, it is probably just a coincidence. Snopes would tell me that there is currently no evidence to support this, so it is blatantly false to even suggest that such a thing is even a possibility. The fact checkers will be out dispelling the disinformation claims that the United States and Russia are vying for power in Sudan, even though both are clearly very much involved behind the scenes.

Will the conflict in Sudan reveal itself as a battleground state in Cold War II? Will a ceasefire be held up? Will General Dagalo seize power from General Burhan? Can the Biden administration deal with the fact that Russia and China are stepping into geopolitical roles that would have been impossible just a few years ago? Can we accept that the American Empire is beginning to see its decline, or will we go out with a nuclear bang in a hopeless attempt to continue global hegemony?

Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.