Egypt Falls into the Trap 

Ahmed Osman Jibril 

With a question that obscures the meaning and urges the conscience: How can a country -the size of Egypt, with its historical weight and accumulated wisdom spanning thousands of years; fall into a small trap called Al-Burhan, and a narrow-mindedness termed “the Islamist (Kizani) clique”… ? How can a nation of wisdom be led by the logic of blackmail, and be pushed morally and politically into a narrow corner -one that is alien to it, and to the image firmly rooted in the Sudanese consciousness? 

“Politics without ethics is a short-lived trick, whilst ethics represent the politics of a long-standing history.” 
  — Abd Al Rahman Al Kawakibi 

(1) 

The Sudanese nationals did not travel to Egypt for tourism or seeking luxury. Rather, they were driven there by a senseless war, a war that left them no choice but to survive. When Egypt opened its arms, it did so -not as a favor, but in accordance with its history and natural role. Nevertheless, the tragedy begins when said hospitality is transformed from a humanitarian act into leverage, and from a right of asylum into a political instrument. 

(2) 

The events taking place at the moment are far from being a passing administrative restriction, for they’re a malicious attempt to force the refugees into a coerced return, not because Khartoum is safe, but because the military regime wishes to provide false witnesses to a security that has yet to be achieved, moreover, it wants to secure more funds -forcibly- in an effort to revitalize an economy devastated by the very war it ignited. 

(3) 

Primarily, the trap here is twofold: “Egypt is being used as leverage to reproduce the narrative of a (safe Sudan), and bears the moral and political cost of a war it did not start —or rather, did not fire the first shot in.” As security is not created through deportation, arrest, or closing doors to the fearful who possess no power or strength except through the Almighty’s mercy and grace; but rather by stopping the war itself. 

(4) 

Al-Burhan and those supporting him do not want people to return to rebuild Sudan, but rather to perpetuate their lie. They want images, numbers, and statements with which to tell the world: “The people have returned.” Whilst reality conveys one unequivocal truth: “A Territory without a State cannot be revived, even if people return.” 

(5) 

Moreover, because the Egyptians are more familiar with the Sudanese people than anyone else, and because the relations between the two nations are far from temporary or based on self-interest, but are deeply rooted in shared land and history; any campaign of defamation or hate speech against refugees doesn’t merely constitute an injustice to them, but a direct affront to the Egypt soul itself -known for its hospitality before laws, and for its aid before calculations. 

(6) 

Yes, Egypt performed undeniable acts of kindness, and whoever denies them possesses a corrupt heart. And yes, a number of measures may be understood within the context of economic and security pressures, nevertheless, what is neither understood nor justifiable is the arrest and deportation of those who carry valid documents, or those who have committed no crime other than fleeing death. 

(7) 

When a State neglects the principles of protecting refugees and the ethics that have long governed its history, it not only loses its reputation but its very essence as well. For the “Egypt” we know is not measured by the actions of regimes, but by what remains in the collective memory of nations, and the Sudanese do not forget. 

This is not the “Egypt” we know, and it never will be. 

If Egypt continues on this path, it will neither serve Sudan nor protect itself, but will -unwittingly- fall into the trap of regimes that thrive only on the destruction of homelands. 

Refugees are not to be forced to return, and homelands are not built on lies. History will not forgive those who squander their moral capital in the cheap marketplace of politics. 

At this juncture, in the realm of wirds, we’ll state it clearly: 

Stop the war… and the people will return. 

Anything else is but an illusion, for which the innocent pay the price. Ultimately, we belong to the Almighty… and His will prevails.