AL SADIQ, SUDANESE INTELLIGENCE, AND JIHADISTS ARE ACTIVE TO OVERTHROW TOUADERA
The Sudanese intelligence chief for Chad and the Central African Republic, stationed in Bangui, finds himself at the heart of a vast effort to destabilize his host country, violating all diplomatic rules. Indeed, according to security sources, Colonel Moussa Al-Sadiq claims to be the mastermind behind a vast plot whose ultimate goal is to attempt the life of President Faustin Archange Touadéra and the liquidation of his close sovereignist collaborators.
Having a good knowledge of the sociology of the borders of Chad, the Central African Republic and Sudan, the latter is actively engaged in strengthening the rebel presence there with a supply of material, financial and human resources. The objective is to concentrate a strike point on the northwestern borders of the country, which can be mobilized in the context of offensive operations against the government when the time comes.
It is worth noting that the border area is populated by Beri ethnic groups, known by their Arabic names of Zaghawa and Bideyat, who live astride Darfur. These sociological groups are shared between three former sultanates, including Darfur (in Sudan), Ouaddaï (in Chad), and Sinyar (in CAR). Other ethnic groups were not separated by the border, but crossed it long before it was demarcated, in search of new pastures (Arabs, Fulani) or fleeing the collapse of old kingdoms (Dadjo, Tundjur). Among these communities were notably important Arab subgroups such as the Rizeigat, Missiriya, and Hemat (or Ta’aisha), as well as non-Arab groups such as the Dadjo, Tundjur, Borgo (Ouaddaïans), Tama, Bornu, and Fulani (Fellata).
Colonel Moussa Al-Sadiq is counting on the strong migration of populations in this historic area to expand his influence in the region by significantly increasing the armed groups’ capacity for harm and warfare. To achieve this, he is particularly focused on two Central African rebel leaders from these cross-border communities,whom he protects and finances their stay in his country’s economic capital, Port Sudan. Yet these two individuals are recognized as terrorists by their security authorities, and their names appear at the top of their country’s intelligence files. They are Nour al-Din and Ali Drissa.
It is important to note that Sudanese intelligence services, through their branch chief in Bangui, are making a massive contribution to reviving two powerful militias composed mainly of herders: the Unit for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) and the Return, Reclamation, and Rehabilitation (3R) group. These efforts run counter to the momentum of the 2019 Khartoum peace agreement between the Central African government and the main armed groups, which also targeted ending pastoral conflicts.
Moreover, according to security sources in the Central African Republic, Colonel Moussa Al-Sadiq is working to change the regime in Bangui by exerting subtle pressure on the government and sabotaging development projects through the harassment of Gulf investors, particularly the Emiratis. According to our sources, he has set up a spy team at Bangui Mpoko Airport that welcomes Emiratis arriving in the country, spies on them, monitors their movements, and harasses them until he successfully discourages them from investing in the country and forces them to leave quickly.
According to polemical analysts, this economic strangulation strategy pursued by Colonel Moussa Al-Sadiq could contribute to increasing criticism of the opposition and weakening the government in the eyes of the public. Combined with the strengthening of armed groups, on the eve of the next presidential elections, this approach would become a real weapon of destabilization of the country, which could lead it back into a cycle of conflict.
Experts are therefore unanimous on the firm and sovereign response that Bangui should address to the Sudanese authorities to not only rein in this sinister agent, but also those from whom he derives the power to carry out his actions. Such a message would be conveyed by the sweeping dismantling of Sudanese intelligence personnel in the Central African capital and throughout the country, with orders for their immediate repatriation. This approach would then be followed by an immediate summons of Sudanese diplomats to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to denounce these hostile acts, as well as the publication of an official statement.
As a reminder, this is not the first attempt by the ruling junta in Khartoum to destabilize the region. Last March, Sudanese General Yasser Al-Atta already threatened strikes on Chad’s airports during an interview on Al Jazeera. The Chadian government, through its spokesperson Ibrahim Adam Mahamat, then reaffirmed its legitimate right to protect its territory and to respond to any attempt at aggression.
President Faustin Archange Touadéra, champion of peace and regional cooperation, will this time have to take stock of the situation and be more firm in his diplomacy with this border country, which is showing an unexpectedly belligerent stance.