A Look at International Conflict and Ambitions in Sudan
(Translated)
Al-Rayah Newspaper - Issue 578 - 17/12/2025
By: Ustadh Abdelsalam Ishaq

The secret Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, reached during World War I between Britain and France, formed the basis for the nationalistic borders that later gave rise to most Arab states under the French and British mandates. This agreement is the crux of the matter in the fragmentation and separation of Muslim lands from one another, and even the dismemberment of single countries into several weak states.

This narrative serves as an introduction to the events unfolding in the Muslim World, from Iraq to Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan, which has become an arena for conflicts and disputes between international powers. Since Sudan gained its supposed independence from Britain, it has taken a different course due to its abundant resources and wealth, which have attracted the covetous eyes of malevolent forces. These forces have needed complicit hands to enable them to plunder these resources and wealth.

The spark that ignited the fragmentation of Sudan was first kindled just months before Sudan's independence, specifically on August 18, 1955, in the city of Torit in southern Sudan. There, the Equatorial Battalion, a military unit in the army whose members were recruited from the south, mutinied against the northern command in Khartoum. The mutiny was led by Lieutenant General Leonardo Lukia, commander of the Equatorial Division, who is considered the direct military commander of the battalion’s uprising, which marked the beginning of the First Sudanese Civil War. The immediate cause of the mutiny was the transfer of power from the Anglo-Egyptian administration to the political elite in Khartoum. At that time, the United States did not appear as a direct supporter or party to the Torit mutiny, as the issue of southern Sudan was not a priority for them. However, the United States later became a significant player in the conflict, particularly with the resurgence of the civil war and the emergence of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) led by John Garang in the 1980s, from 1983. Garang made several visits to the United States as part of diplomatic tours to garner support for his movement, and he received invitations from figures such as then-President Jimmy Carter.

In 1989, with the rise of the Islamist-leaning National Salvation regime in Sudan, the United States prioritized the issue of South Sudan and fueled the conflict, until the warring parties were so exhausted that signing a peace agreement became the most likely and safest option for both sides. This led to the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the National Salvation regime and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). The United States played a significant role as a member of the Troika, of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway, which sponsored peace efforts and contributed to the CPA, the Naivasha Agreement of 2005, which ultimately led to the secession of South Sudan.

This insidious American plan, after its implementation in South Sudan, became the basis for the fragmentation of what remained of Sudan. The next target was western Sudan, the Darfur region, rich in natural resources and minerals, as well as livestock and fertile agricultural land. All of this, and more, spurred America to accelerate its plan to separate Darfur.

To seize control of these resources, it manipulated its proxy in the same way it did in the South; the Rapid Support Forces rebelled against the military establishment and launched a war that devastated everything in its path, leaving innocent civilians as victims of murder, rape, looting, destruction, and devastation. In this way, America used military force to turn the tables on Britain's proxies—the civilians and the civilian government. It was reported that, “The Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Malik Agar, met on Thursday with the British Special Envoy to Sudan, Richard Crowder, whose visit to the country comes within the framework of consultations on the political and humanitarian situation in the Sudan. Agar stated that the envoy’s visit should have focused on conveying the UK’s vision for ending the war, rather than simply learning the Sudanese government’s perspective. He explained that the government had already presented a roadmap to all international institutions and diplomatic missions, especially given that the militia’s crimes were being broadcast worldwide” (Port Sudan, December 4, 2025).

It is clear, therefore, that Britain has completely withdrawn from the Sudanese arena, while America is the one shaping events and maintaining control. It was reported that, “In a move reflecting a shift in American diplomatic efforts to end the war in Sudan, US President Donald Trump today affirmed his personal interest in the Sudanese conflict, emphasizing that he would not send delegates to negotiate, but would instead exert direct efforts to end the conflict.” This came during a joint press briefing with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, broadcast on major American channels such as CNN and Fox News. President Trump appeared alongside Rubio at the White House, where Rubio expressed full support for the president's position, saying that President Trump is personally involved in this issue, and that he is “not delegating it” claiming that Trump is “the only leader in the world capable of resolving the Sudan crisis.” This announcement comes amidst escalating American efforts to intervene in the Sudanese conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of more than 12 million people, according to UN reports. Trump expressed his personal commitment following a direct request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to Washington. Last November, Trump said in a previous statement, “It was not on my charts to be involved in, I thought it was just something that was crazy and out of control... And we’re going to start working on Sudan.”” (The Sudanese Newspaper)

America will oversee the cessation of hostilities, but this will only happen once the plan is fully developed, and it is already in its final stages, or perhaps has already been achieved, with the Rapid Support Forces’ control over the entire Darfur region.

O People of Sudan: Why would we allow a new Sykes-Picot Agreement? Does a believer get stung twice from the same hole? How can someone who has been the cause of our country’s destruction, for decades, be a healing balm for our problems and ills? We must stand against him and say no, a thousand times no! We must turn the tables on all those who covet our resources and seek to dismember our country. This can only be achieved by establishing a just and righteous system that will instill fear in our adversaries, and no state other than the Khilafah Rashidah (Rightly Guided Caliphate) is capable of fulfilling this role.

* Member of the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Sudan