Whilst all normal people were still reeling
from the devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington,
it is sad to note that some sought to exploit this tragedy
for their own partisan purposes.
On Wednesday, 12 September, at 09:25, less than 24 hours
after the horrific terrorist bombings of the World Trade
Center and Pentagon, Dr Eric Reeves, an anti-Sudan activist
within the United States, saw fit to distribute a posting
entitled 'Sudan, Osama bin Laden, and Terrorism'. Such a
blatant attempt to capitalise out of such a horrendous tragedy
is breathtaking. It demonstrated a stunning social dyslexia
on the part of this American academic.
The morality of such behaviour aside, Dr Reeves has once
again managed to get his facts wrong. As with so many of
his claims regarding Sudan, his ghoulish attempts to somehow
implicate Sudan in this immense human tragedy are simply
inaccurate. A snapshot of the accuracy of the sorts of reports
and press cuttings referred to by Dr Reeves was provided
by the 'New York Times':
"the Central Intelligence Agency...recently concluded that
reports that had appeared to document a clear link between
the Sudanese Government and terrorist activities were fabricated
and unreliable...The United States is entitled to use military
force to protect itself against terrorism. But the case
for every such action must be rigorously established. In
the case of the Sudan, Washington has conspicuously failed
to prove its case." (1)
The Sudanese Reaction to the Tragedy
The Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mustafa Osman
Ismail, denounced "the vicious terrorist attacks on a number
of American targets". He described the attacks as "criminal
acts of terrorism which caused a great loss of precious
human lives". Dr Mustafa "offered his sincere condolences
to the American government and the American people". He
also reaffirmed Sudan's "willingness to co-operate fully
with the U.S. Government and the international community
to combat all forms of terrorism and bring the perpetrators
to justice." (2) The Sudanese President. Omer Bashir, also
condemned the attacks and extended his condolences to the
families of the victims and to the American people. President
Bashir also stated that Sudan "is not a terrorist state,
does not sponsor terrorism and does not advocate terrorist
acts targeting innocent people". (3)
Sudan and Terrorism
In August 2001 Bush Administration officials stated that
American counter-terrorism analysts had concluded that Sudan
was moving in the right direction on terrorism. (4) Early
this month, the United Nations Security Council set a date
to lift the five-year-old limited diplomatic sanctions on
Sudan - sanctions imposed after questionable allegations
of Sudanese involvement in the attempted 1995 assassination
of Egyptian President Mubarak. Ambassador Jean-David Levite,
the president of the Security Council, stated that: "This
signals the encouragement we feel from Sudan and the United
States to move forward." (5)
The United States listed Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism
in August 1993. Former United States President Jimmy Carter,
long interested in Sudanese affairs, went out of his way
to see what evidence there was for Sudan's listing. Carter
was told there was no evidence:
"In fact, when I later asked an assistant secretary of state
he said they did not have any proof, but there were strong
allegations." (6) Donald Petterson, the United States ambassador
to Sudan at the time of Sudan's listing, stated that he
was "surprised" that Sudan was put on the terrorism list.
Petterson said that while he was aware of "collusion" between
"some elements of the Sudanese Government" and various "terrorist"
organisations:
"I did not think this evidence was sufficiently conclusive
to put Sudan on the U.S. government's list of state sponsors
of terrorism." (7)
In September 1998 both the 'New York Times' and the London
'Times' reported that the Central Intelligence Agency had
previously secretly had to withdraw over one hundred of
its reports alleging Sudanese involvement in terrorism.
The CIA had realised that the reports in question had been
fabricated. The London 'Times' concluded that this "is no
great surprise to those who have watched similar CIA operations
in Africa where 'American intelligence' is often seen as
an oxymoron." (8)
In August 1998, in the wake of the bombings of the American
embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the United States government
launched a cruise missile attack on the al-Shifa medicines
factory in Khartoum, claiming that the factory was owned
by Osama bin-Laden and produced chemical weapons. The Clinton
Administration failed to produce any evidence for these
claims, and blocked any subsequent United Nations inspection
of the factory. Independent tests carried out on the factory
by a distinguished American chemist showed no traces of
anything associated with chemical weapons. (9) It is now
accepted that the attack was a disastrous blunder by the
American government. (10)
Sudan arrested and extradited Illyich Ramirez Sanchez, "Carlos
the Jackal" to France, and, as requested by Washington,
in 1995 it expelled Osama bin Laden, and his associates,
from Sudan. In September 1995 Sudan imposed strict visa
requirements on visitors to Sudan, ending its no visa policy
for Arab nationals. In May 2000, Sudan completed the process
of acceding to all of the international instruments for
the elimination of international terrorism. It has signed
the following international agreements: 'The 1997 International
Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings'; 'The
1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the
Financing of Terrorism'; 'The 1988 International Protocol
for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts of Violence at Airports
Serving International Civil Aviation (Montreal 1988)'; 'The
1980 International Convention on the Physical Protection
of Nuclear Material (Vienna 1980)'; 'The 1992 International
Convention for the Suppression
of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located
on the Continental Shelf'; 'The 1963 International Convention
on Offenses and Certain Other Acts Committed on board Aircraft';
and 'The 1991 International Convention on the Marking of
Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection'.
Sudan has also become a party to regional agreements and
a participant in regional programmes for the suppression
and elimination of terrorism on the African continent through
the Organisation of African Unity. Sudan has also signed
similar agreements within the framework of the Arab League
and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. In April
1998, for example, Sudan became a signatory to the Arab
Agreement for Combating Terrorism. (11) In August, 1998,
the Sudanese ambassador to Egypt stated Sudan welcomed an
Egyptian proposal to convene an international conference
on combating terrorism. (12) Sudan also signed
the chemical weapons convention in May 1999. (13)
Furthermore in March 2000, Sudan also comprehensively updated
its own legislation for the suppression of terrorism. The
Sudanese Government has repeatedly invited the United States
to send its own anti-terrorist teams to Sudan to investigate
and follow-up any information they may have about Sudan's
alleged involvement in terrorism. In 2000 American anti-terrorist
teams spent several months doing just that. Their reports
were instrumental in the moves by the United Nations Security
Council to release Sudan from the 1996 limited diplomatic
sanctions.
Given that Dr Reeves claims to have approached Sudan "with
the eyes of a professional researcher", claiming "[l]ong
hours and days of assiduous reading, archival retrieval,
and real-time communications with Sudan experts in and out
of government" (14), one assumes that he must have known
of these facts and developments. Not to have been aware
of them would indicated his usual imperfect grasp of the
Sudanese situation. To have known about them and not to
have referred to them is reprehensible.
It has to be stated that Dr Reeves' usual inaccuracies with
regard to Sudan pale into insignificance when set against
his crass opportunism in attempting to exploit this terrible
tragedy for his own questionable campaign. Are there no
depths to which Dr Reeves will not sink?
Notes:
1 'Dubious Decisions on the Sudan', Editorial, 'The New
York Times', 23 September 1998.
2 'Official Statement on Terrorist Attacks',
Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, Washington-DC, 11 September
2001.
3 'Sudan Denounces Terror, Urges "Unemotional
US Response', News Article by Agence France Press on 12
September 2001.
4 'Powell Mulls U.N. Action on Sudan
After Report African Government is Moving in right Direction
on Terrorism', News Article by Associated Press on 22 August
2001.
5 'Security Council sets date to life
Sudan sanctions, signalling U.S. support', News Article
by Associated Press on 5 September 2001.
6 'The Independent', London, 17 September
1993.
7 Petterson, op.cit., p.69.
8 'The Times', London, 22 September
1998; 'The New York Times', 21 and 23 September, 1998.
9 See, 'U.S. Evidence of Terror Links
to Blitzed Medicine Factory Was "Totally Wrong"', Andrew
Marshall, 'The Independent,' London, 15 February 1999; 'No
Trace of Nerve Gas Precursor Found at Bombed Sudan Plant',
'Chemical & Engineering News', 15 February 1999.
10 'Clinton Bombed Civilians on Purpose.
American Tests Showed No Trace of Nerve Gas at "Deadly"
Sudan Plant. The President Ordered the Attack Anyway', 'The
Observer', London, 23 August 1998. Front-page.
11 'Internal Affairs Minister: Arab
Agreement For Combating Terrorism is a Strong Reply to Enemies',
Sudan News Agency, 25 April 1998.
12 'Sudan Welcomes Egypt's Anti-Terrorism
Conference Proposal', News Article by Xinhua on 22 August
1998 at 14:32:43.
13 'Sudan Says Joins Pact Against Chemical
Weapons', News Article by Reuters on 19 August 1999 at 10:31:52.
14 Statement by Dr Eric Reeves before
the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,
Washington-DC, 15 February 2000 available at
http://www.uscirf.gov/hearings/15feb00/professor_reeves.htm
