Columnists
Open Letter to Gen. Bashir
Sudanese former President Omar Al Bashir
Dear Gen. Mohammed Omar al Bashir, I am sure I do not know and far less understand the situation you are in at the moment. They tell me you are in the maximum security dungeon, that you constructed for your opponents; that you are underneath in a solitary paddocked cell. I am told that, at least, they have left you with some facilities to communicate, like they will deliver this letter to you.
I also heard in the news that the new military authorities of Lt. Gen. Abdel Fatah al Bruham had seized three gunny sacks of cash from your private premises. One of the used maize sacks contained seven million dollars, the second six million Euros and the third a good amount of Sudanese pounds – all of this in cash. In all, the amount comes to something like twenty million dollars.
But, you also, after three decades in the chair, you could not even find a better method of hiding the loot. At least in new gunny sacks, but old ones! Why did you not at least get one of the rooms in the house to pack the money? You are not going to be in position to defend yourself from the accusations of theft and obtaining money by false pretences – you, a general and former president! And they talk of only that small amount of money compared to all for all that time you have been holding the fort..
That will explain the situation you are in. At least you are not yet in the ICC. Because once you are consigned there, it will be difficult for you to get away from accusations of genocide, corruption and human rights abuses. You will be facing not less than 40 years in the cooler.
Remember your former colleague president, Charles Ghankay Taylor, he tried to escape from Liberia through Nigeria and he was seized trying to cross to Chad. But you have to give it to Ghankay, he had earlier escaped from a prison in the United States, presumably after bribing his way out with a reported one million dollars.
Now, that is something for you to think seriously about – how to get out of that cell. My consideration is that your best bet should be with Saudi Arabia in mind. And the best person to snidely get you out is Saudis Crown Prince MbS. I understand the kingdom has offered the Sudan military junta three billion dollars in help, to pull the country out of the rut of the economy you had put the Sudan into.
I should believe that you have salted away some such money somewhere in the world, possibly even in the kingdom, if not in some disgraced Swiss account. Try to smuggle information to one of your three wives to go to the Saudis to arrange that.
MbS will be in a position to convince the junta over this, at least, that is what I believe. You have got to appreciate how he handled the case of Jamal Khashhogi, the journalist. MbS literally vapourized the guy and convinced the world that he had nothing to do with it. In fact, countries like Pakistan fetted the guy for his acumen and largesse, when he visited them. That is what he will do to Bruhan with the help he has promised.
What Bruhan will not know is that the money will have come from you through MbS, although the Sudanese junta will think that it came from the kingdom coffers. Whichever way you get him to get you out should be done soonest, before the junta gives way to the Transitional Sovereign Council.
So once you are out, you could go to some obscure desert location in the kingdom; or Pakistan, or Indonesia, or even Brunei, depending on who will take you in. I know you have already been offered sanctuary in Uganda, but that is too near to Sudan; and anything can happen while you are there.
The TSC wants to give power to civilian administration maybe within the next three months. Once this happens, your chances of getting equivalent justice will expire. You know that the council is made up of fellows from the Sudanese Professional Association, the Forum for Freedom and Change, trade unionists and from your former opponents in the opposition parties. These fellows are all out to get you; and the most preferred place for them to send you to, is The Hague.
Try to avoid that as much as possible; and that is before the military hands over. At least they seem somewhat partial to you, for now, at least. Do not wait!
Yours truly,
szumuz@yahoo.com
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