McFarlane, Shahamilbil and Sudan Government Affair By Fathi AlDaw

Some US mass media including the Washington Post, CNN and the Associated Press extensively covered a story of prime importance to Sudanese political affairs and this story has also been disseminated to some International mass media. The story is related to FBI agents’ search of the Watergate apartment in Washington where former US national security advisor, Robert (Bud) McFarlane, resides seeking evidence of his alleged connection with Sudan. The FBI search resulted into finding an evidence supporting FBI previous allegations that McFarlane was entering into an agreement with the Government of Sudan to lobby the U.S. government officials on behalf of Sudan and to provide it with advice during negotiations with the United States. This evidence involves a contract of US $ 1.3 million, signed by and between McFarlane and the Qatari authorities, sponsoring Darfur crisis negotiations and covertly representing Sudan government. The deal in itself reflects the shameful malpractices of Sudan’s government including money laundering and it also reflects Macfarlane breach to US laws i.e. contacting a government included in US Terror list. Sudan government, as you may know, was listed by US State Department as a sponsor of terrorism since the nineties of the last century and Sudan government found no way to be dropped from US list of terrorism although it secretly provided US authorities innumerable loyalty pledges.
After the dissemination of the story in the international mass media as well as several web sites, many of my friends, colleagues and readers contacted me to express their gratitude, commendation and happiness that the FBI has granted my recent book, “The Trench: Secrets of Sudan Government Corruption and Tyranny”, and the documents pertaining to the related story, an overwhelming creditworthiness. Although I was proud with my antecedence that preceded US security apparatus, with its formidable resources, but I did not give importance for their commendation since I do not put my creditworthiness in the devil’s hands or await FBI or any other entity certificate of creditworthiness. My message and unwritten agreement with my readers is that they must interact with what I write and I must respond to their viewpoints.
In fact what happened was not a surprise for me since I stated in the end of the respective chapter contained in my book, published in January 2012, before one year, in page 268, concerning this issue, that: “Robert Cabelly faced his fate as judged by US justice which never repress any of its citizens and never become bias to any one due to his rank or position, social or financial status. All US citizens are treated equally before the law and the constitution which was formulated by the founding fathers, as described in the American culture. There remains that MacFarlane affair has created a public uproar when it first appeared but it did not end as rationally expected due to lack of solid evidence and proofs. These are what we humbly succeeded in providing to the public and have become available to the respected readers and concerned officials. Accordingly, we can say that this issue can be put again in the spotlight by reopening its hot files by the US justice authorities. If this happens, or not, it does not fall within our scope of concerns unless it’s respective repercussions affect the Sudanese affairs. Imagine, dear reader, if such repercussions resulted into unfair settlement to a major crisis like Darfur crisis? Where it is difficult to compare from the ethical perspective! In this crisis many of the innocent people paid high toll that reached exterminating of dear lives and displacement of people that never stopped for one day in addition to the sufferings of humiliation and degradation in the displacement camps. What is concealed there is horrific. From this logic what would we expect if the concerned persons worked to reopen the files of this case again which contain such huge humanitarian burdens”, unquote. The reader may have touched from this passage our strong belief that this case shall reach its rational end how long time it shall take.
It is worth mentioning that I am not sure whether the FBI has depended on the contents of my book regarding the MacFarlane involvement and its findings including the contract signed by MacFarlane and the Qatari authorities, or it depended on the information source that provided me with them. By the way, he is one of the resourceful junta of Ingaz regime, as I indicated in my book. Or otherwise the FBI has obtained them by other means. Anyhow, I am quite sure that my book and its information has become one of the evidences of the International Criminal Court, in the Hague. Whatsoever the means the FBI obtained its information, the case now took another direction and those who follow up such case know that the stone dropped in its contaminated swamp will make wide swirls that would swallow a number of the involved persons, whether visible or invisible.
For the readers who have no background about this issue and who may ask about Macfarlane, I shall refer to page 253 of my book where I stated that: “Robert (Bud) Macfarlane is one of the prominent US national security advisors and he occupied this position during 1983-1985 and has profound fingerprints in the US foreign policy during President Ronald Regan Administration. Mr. Macfarlane was connected with the famous scandal of Iran-Contra Affair and he was convicted in 1988 when he pleaded guilty of withholding information from Congress as part of the Iran-Contra cover-up. Mr. MacFarlane has been criticized for involving the United States armed forces in the Lebanon Civil War, which resulted in the bombardment of US embassy in Beirut and killing of 63 Americans and also the bombardment of US Marines’ Beirut barracks where 241 American servicemen were killed. Mr. Macfarlane was pardoned by President George H.W. Bush and he was formerly an Advisor to the 2008 John McCain presidential campaign. McFarlane co-founded and served as CEO of McFarlane Associates Inc., an international consulting company.
With this background and these heavy burdens of sins, an immediate question will be raised in this connection i.e. how MacFarlane reached the inner circle of the junta ruling Khartoum? This has been made through one of Salah Gosh, Head/Inelegance and Security Apparatus, aide i.e. Mohammad Hassan Babiker Shahamilbil, referred to herein in the title of this article. Pursuant to the information contained in page 151 of my above-referenced book: “I do not know him (Shahamilbil) and he is not famous so that we can say he is known by many persons, simply because he works behind the scenes as a security officer. Therefore, it is believed that those who knew him are limited to his family members, friends, collogues and some few persons. This would not decrease his important role in the subject affair. In contrast, he is considered an important man by his security clique, as we indicated according to his personal resume written by his hand although his resume contained many exaggerations, as the habit with the secret agents. He wrote his resume with such exaggerations to convince his immediate supervisor that he is more than qualified for any job. The common rule says that most of the security officers and secret agents serving totalitarian regimes are liars except with little number of them. This of course consistent with the nature of the totalitarian regimes where lying becomes their trademark. Lying covers any news and any event which will not be attractive, from their perspective, unless containing some lies, hypocrisy, mislead and dismay.
In conclusion, Shahamilbil is the genuine godfather of the respective affair. The book has covered his resume in detail and I do not want to preoccupy the minds of my readers with such trivial matters. It is enough to answer the question raised by many of them and relating to whether Shahamilbil is a name or surname. In fact, I do not know the correct answer but “ilbil” is a colloquial Sudanese terminology denoting camels and “Shaham” denotes fat and accordingly “Shahamilbil” means camels’ fat. As I came to know, Shahamilbil is the surname of Sheikh Mahmoud Wad Zaid, chief of Dababina tribe residing in Butana district in the eastern province of Sudan. Sheikh Mahmoud Wad Zaid is famous among the Sudanese people with his courage, generosity and rebellion against the Mahadia State and Khalifa Abdullahi AlTaishi, in particular. I do not know whether Colonel Hassan Babiker is a relative of Sheikh Mahmoud Wad Zaid or the matter is just similarity of the surname. Anyhow, Sheikh Mahmoud Wad Zaid has something to be proud of among the people while the bare-handed Hassan Babiker has nothing to be proud of among his people.
Intelligence operatives, everywhere, have secret connections and links and therefore there is a link between MacFarlane and Shahamilbil. In its tireless search and in order to evade US guillotine, and in contrast to its internal rhetoric the Ingaz Junta believing that 99% of the cards that lead to the solution of its problems are in the hands of USA found, through the Sudanese security apparatus represented by Shahamilbil, an agent that led them to MacFarlane. This agent named: Albino Abuj, an American citizen from Sudanese origins at that time and South Sudan origins, nowadays after the separation. Mr. Albino Abuj has been described in detail in my referenced book. Anyhow, MacFarlane started by himself to contact influential American personalities to work with him to lobby the U.S. government officials on behalf of Sudan government in order to improve the distorted image of Sudan’s regime. These influential personalities included Scott Gration, US special envoy to Sudan, Mr. James L. Jones, former national security advisor, John Danforth, President Bush special envoy to Sudan, Robert B. Oakley, US special envoy to Somalia and others. Of course, use of money was the tool that attracted men and for further details you may refer to my referenced book.
In this article, I do not want to advertise and promote my referenced book which currently under its fourth edition and which was prohibited, by the Junta ruling Khartoum, to enter Sudan. This book contained bitter and nasty stories about some of US influential personalities e.g. the story of John Danforth, the ordained Episcopal priest and US special envoy to Sudan, and his famous sugar deal, the sugar which turned into salt in our throats and who endorsed the separation of South Sudan. Whether this deal or that one, all of them shall be uncovered and exposed to more light. Therefore, MacFarlane and Sudan government affair shall soon be one of the public opinion issues with extensive excitement and thrill commonly known within US media and political circles. This is due to the high-ranking positions occupied by Macfarlane and the red lights which he trespassed and which are considered by US official authorities breach to US national security which was guarded previously by MacFarlane who became one of its threats today.
Those who read my referenced book knew that the big portion of the scandals mentioned there have solid supporting evidences and are considered criminal cases with involvements from regional and International circles while some few scandals are corruption cases linked with local Sudanese affairs. Many of the Sudanese politicians consider the latter ones as corruption deals and can be forgiven, pursuant to the established negative Sudanese behavior. Anyhow, the former scandals have International dimensions and shall have no capital punishments especially those ones connected with US affairs. The serious reader should pay great attention for the upcoming news because there shall be several heartbreaking surprises.

· Fathi AlDaw is a Sudanese journalist and resident in USA.

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