A New Ottoman Empire.

Sub-title: "Operation Featherweight: Month 58, Week 2, Day 7."

A direct continuation of; https://watchitdie.blogspot.com/2019/04/middle-east-north-africa.html

In that post I looked at efforts to readmit Syria back into the international community. Particularly the Arab League, a powerful regional body Syria was suspended from back in 2011.

A key part of that effort was the visit by then Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to Syria on December 15th 2018 (15/12/18). The first visit by a sitting Head of State to Syria since the conflict began.

Omar al-Bashir was chosen specifically for this visit to signal a possible route for Syria's reintegration back into the international community. It would need to break off ties with Iran just as Sudan broke off ties with Iran back in 2016.

The problem is that in the spring of 2017 there was a massive split amongst the Gulf Arab states. Between Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The main reason for this split is Qatar's nominal support for Iran, designed to counter Saudi Arabia's strong opposition to Iran. A close second is Qatar's support for Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood. Particularly the group's role in Turkey's invasion and occupation of Syria.

Due to its role in Turkey's invasion and occupation of Syria Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood are very opposed to Syria rejoining the international community. So they responded by coordinating supposedly 'popular protests' against President al-Bashir in Sudan. Starting on December 19th 2018 (19/12/18).

Initially the primary focus of the Muslim Brotherhood protests in Sudan was not to bring down President al-Bashir. Instead they were intended to target the next phase of the effort to see Syria readmitted to the Arab League.

Following his visit to Syria Omar al-Bashir visited Egypt. On January 27th 2019 (27/1/19). This came around a month after the head of Syria's National Security Bureau, Ali Mamlouk visited Cairo. To meet with his Egyptian counterpart.

As such Omar al-Bashir's visit to Egypt seemed to be a prelude to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visiting Syria. Becoming only the second sitting Head of State to do so since the war began.

Egypt has had its own extensive problems with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Following Egypt's 2011 revolution the Muslim Brotherhood took power at the 2012 elections. Through Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood Freedom & Justice Party.

Turkey actually celebrated Morsi's June 22nd 2012 (22/6/12) inauguration as President by sending an F-4 Phantom jet to invade Syrian airspace. The thinking being that when it was inevitably shot down it would allow Turkey to officially declare war on Syria.

Securing control of two key countries in the Ottoman Empire; Syria and Egypt.

As President Morsi was a disaster for Egypt. He dedicated his entire time supporting Muslim Brotherhood affiliated terror groups rather than addressing the economic and democratic problems which triggered Egypt's 2011 revolution.

So in the summer of 2013 the people of Egypt were forced to have another revolution.

To kick out Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood after they refused to hold fresh elections. Despite roughly one third of the entire population of Egypt coming out onto the streets in protest against them.

The Muslim Brotherhood most certainly did not peacefully cede power in Egypt. They first denounced the popular revolution as a military coup. They then established two armed camps in the centre of Cairo. At the Rabaa Mosque and al-Nadha Square.

After several weeks of violence in which occupants of the camps kidnapped, tortured and murdered opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian security forces moved in to clear them. The Muslim Brotherhood's response was to open fire on the security forces, then kill the women and children in the camp before finally burning both camps to the ground.

The claimed death toll from these Muslim Brotherhood camps range from 638 (Egyptian Security forces) to 2,600 (Muslim Brotherhood).

The Muslim Brotherhood's purpose in conducting these killings then wildly inflating the number killed was to have them declared massacres. In order to delegitimise the Egyptian authorities and boost support for themselves.

In this effort the Muslim Brotherhood did manage to deceive much of the western media. Along with famous lawyer Amal Clooney. Which actually isn't that hard. Her husband, George Clooney played a central role in Israel's efforts to inflate the Darfur War which led to ICC arrest warrants for Omar al-Bashir.

However what the Muslim Brotherhood did not manage to do was fool the Egyptian people. As their popularity collapsed the Muslim Brotherhood resorted to ever more violent methods.

The small Islamist group Supporters of the Holy House/Ansar Bait al-Maqdis (ABM) was grown into the Sinai Province of the Islamic State of the Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Under the direction of the Muslim Brotherhood ISIL's Sinai Province have conducted a bloody terrorist campaign against Egypt.

For example there was the April 9th 2017 (9/4/17) Palm Sunday Church Bombings. These occurred on Palm Sunday which marks the start of Holy Week. The week leading up to Easter Sunday, the most important festival in the Christian calender.

The attacks saw Muslim Brotherhood suicide bombers target the Saint George's Church in the Egyptian city of Tanta and the Saint Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria. Resulting in the deaths of 47 civilians at prayer and the serious wounding of 126.

Then there was the November 24th 2017 (24/11/17) attack on the al-Rawda Mosque on the Sinai Peninsula.

This saw the Muslim Brotherhood attack the Mosque with suicide bombers, Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG's) and heaving machine guns. Resulting of the deaths of 305 civilians at prayer and the serious wounding of at least 128 more.

As such the Muslim Brotherhood protests in Sudan were not initially directed at President Omar al-Bashir. Instead they were targeting Sudan's neighbour Egypt.

The threat being quite clear. If Egypt supported Syria's readmittance to the Arab League then the Muslim Brotherhood would massively increase its violence against Egypt.

This threat seems to have been successful. On February 4th 2019 (4/2/19) Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry declared that Egypt would not support Syria's readmittance to the Arab League.

Syria's rehabilitation has been further hampered by the involvement of the United Nations (UN). Particularly its newly appointed Special Envoy on Syria Geir Pedersen. Who met with Ahmed Gheit, the Secretary General of the Arab League on January 27th 2019 (27/1/19).

Many bodies of the UN are funded by the Muslim Brotherhood through Qatar. The role of Special Envoy to Syria is almost exclusively funded in this way.

So very early on in the conflict the UN decided that it was going to disregard its own charter and act to support the Muslim Brotherhood's overthrow of the Syrian government. Primarily through the so-called Geneva Process on Syria.

Under the Geneva Process the recognised Syrian opposition are exclusively members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Specifically they are members of the United Turkmen Army (UTA). They do not represent the Syrian population in the Central Syria area. Nor do they represent the Syrian population in the Shangri-La area.

Instead the supposed 'Syrian Opposition' recognised by the UN's Geneva Process represent only the small group of extremists occupying the Sudetenland, Afrin Canton and Garvaghy Road areas. Many of them are not even located in Syria at all. Instead living in Turkey.

Despite all reality the UN remains committed to the Geneva Process. They see Syria's readmittance to the international community, starting with the Arab League as a threat to that.

So the purpose of UN Special Envoy Pedersen's meeting with the Secretary General of the Arab League was to warn the Arab League against readmitting Syria.

Both the intimidation of Egypt and Special Envoy Pedersen's visit had their effect. On February 11th 2019 (11/2/19) the Arab League announced it was suspending plans to readmit Syria as a member.

So we now find ourselves in a very bizarre situation.

Syria's Arab, Muslim neighbours now want to end the war and welcome Syria back as an ally. Yet they are being prevented from doing so by Western, Christian nations.

As for Omar al-Bashir he very quickly identified the cause of the protests against them. In mid-February he broke of ties with Muslim Brotherhood organisations within Sudan and started expelling members of the group from the country.

Unsurprisingly removing members of the Muslim Brotherhood from positions of power within Sudan did temporarily quell the protests.

However after a short period the Muslim Brotherhood were able to regroup and the protests restarted in earnest. This time with a clear purpose of overthrowing al-Bashir and putting the Muslim Brotherhood in full control of the country.

On or around April 7th 2019 (7/4/19) the Sudanese military stepped in. Easing Omar al-Bashir from power on April 11th (11/4/19).

Very much following the model of Egypt's 2013 revolution the Sudanese military will now hold power until elections can be held in two years.

That short period of military rule is vitally important for Sudan. It allows everyone to calm down a bit and start thinking rationally again as the excitement of revolution fades.

This allows for the legitimate demands of the Sudanese people to be separated from the extremist agenda of the Muslim Brotherhood. As has had to be done in Egypt and Syria.

If the Sudanese people want to see the consequences of not going through this vital stabilisation phase they only need to look at Libya, Syria or, to a lesser extent, Egypt.

I find it particularly ironic that the European Union (EU)  are demanding Sudan rushes to hold elections which will be democratic in name only.

While EU is demanding that Britain voids the democratic vote it held to leave the EU.


16:40 on 17/4/19 (UK date).