Sudan army chief of staff pays 'unique' visit to Algiers

Chief of Staff of the Sudanese army, Mohamed Osman al-Hussein, arrived in Algiers on November 22 for an official visit, described by some people as 'unique'.

Accompanying the Sudanese army official was a high-level delegation from his country.

During the visit, al-Hussein met his Algerian counterpart, Said Chengriha.

Compatibility

The visit of the Sudanese official to Algeria coincides with an announcement by Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on November 13 that the Sudanese army wants consensus and a civilian government to guard it, away from partisan quotas.

The same visit comes within the context of progress in relations between Khartoum and Algiers, including in the political, economic and security fields.

This progress, some people believe, reflects Algeria's desire to support Sudan again after its economic and financial situation has improved.

Algerian official delegations paid visits to Sudan in recent months to discuss co-operation and investment opportunities, especially in the exploration of oil, gas and minerals.

Transition protests

After the resignation of late Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, on April 2, 2019, following popular protests and pressure from the army's leadership, the late chief of staff of the Algerian army, Ahmed Gaid Salah, refused to seize power or share it with civilians.

He rather preferred to respect his country's constitution.

On the basis of the constitution, pre-presidential elections were organized, after a difficult transition that lasted only a few months.

The elections succeeded, however, in steering Algeria towards safe shores.

There are considerable similarities between Sudan and Algeria, especially with regard to the army stepping in to force former president Omar Hassan al-Bashir to step down.

This took place only nine days after the late Algerian president left the office of president under pressure from the members of the public.

Nevertheless, there are differences between the two countries, especially when it comes to the results.

Sudan has not got out of its transition yet. This transition should have come to an end on November 21 with the holding of elections. The transitional period in this country was extended for 14 months additional months.

Way out

The Sudanese army looks for a way out of the political crisis, in which the country flounders. The same crisis makes the prospect of national division and army disintegration very possible.

The security challenges facing the Sudanese army have become very complex, both at the internal and the external levels.

The political crisis of the country also becomes more intense with the passage of time, especially in the eastern part of Sudan.

This comes in the wake of a threat by the Beja Tribal Council not to recognize the central government in Khartoum and form a local government to secede from Sudan.

The Darfur region in the west of the country experiences fragile stability. It is not unlikely that peace will collapse in it, if the political crisis in Khartoum is not resolved.

This difficult security situation may tempt terrorist groups in the Sahel region, especially the Greater Sahara ISIS and Boko Haram, to march from Lake Chad to the Darfur region.

Ethiopia's Blue Nile dam crisis also puts pressure on Sudan, along with the political and security split in Libya.

This tough situation pushes the Sudanese army to look for a strong ally to support it in the face of all these simultaneous challenges.

The Sudanese and Algerian armies face several common challenges, on top of which is the political and security crisis in Libya, which necessitates their coordination.

Relations between the two armies deteriorated in 2016, against the background of reports that the Sudanese army played a role in supporting one of the parties to the conflict in Libya.