In Geopolitics Today - Tuesday, September 21st
Sudan Thwarts Military Coup and Greece Conducts Joint Exercise with Egypt, Greece & Saudi Arabia
Sudan Thwarts Military Coup
The Sudanese government has made a statement detailing how military officers together with civilians attempted a coup that has been swiftly brought under control. Those now captured by government forces are widely reported to be supporters of the deposed former president Omar al-Bashi, and a government spokesman said that the arrested suspects are being interrogated for their role in the attempted coup. The plotters are said to have attempted to take control of a state media buildings in Omdurman, as well as the Omdurman Radio headquarters.
The coup comes at a time when Sudan is suffering from high inflation and soaring unemployment rates, both of which have fuelled popular discontent. Protests have erupted repeatedly recently, particularly over the past year as opposition against International Monetary Fund reforms and other issues spread across the country. Disagreements within the state apparatus have also emerged over corruption and a lack of transparency, with leaks of infighting reported over deals made with armed group leaders.
Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok says the coup attempt was preceded by others attempting to create insecurity, especially in the east of Sudan where supporters of former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir are said to have closed highways connecting the capital Khartoum to Port Sudan. If government reports are to be believed, high-ranking members of the military as well as civilians were heavily involved in the coup attempt as the Sudanese government announced over 40 military officers have been arrested. Sudan is currently ruled by a joint civilian and military government which is attempting to undertake drastic and unpopular IMF reforms. At the same time, its relations with neighbouring Ethiopia are at an all-time low.
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Greece Conducts Joint Exercise with Egypt, Greece & Saudi Arabia
Greece has recently taken concrete steps to modernise its armed forces and to bolster its security arrangements in the Eastern Mediterranean. Now Greek Special Operations forces will train alongside special forces units from the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia for a multi-day exercise. According to the Saudi Ministry of Defence, the exercise is aimed at exchanging experiences and concepts, enhancing joint cooperation, and raising the level of combat readiness in all participant nations.
The joint exercise comes at a time when tensions are running high between Turkey and Greece, as well as the Gulf Arab states. Despite Turkey's best efforts to remedy the situation by attempting to reconcile relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, there appears to be little change in the attitudes of these countries toward many of Ankara’s policies. As members of the Arab League they have accused Turkey of interference in regional affairs, and all have pushed back against Turkish influence in the region in recent years.
Saudi Arabia boycotted Turkish goods, the UAE offered help to Assad if he fights the Turkish military in Syria, Greece militarised islands close to the Turkish coastline, and Egypt has played a hand in stifling Turkish interests in Libya. Now all are strengthening military ties with Turkey sitting at the heart of this regional security relationship. While this deepened cooperation does not necessarily include a defence clause or anything that might be called a defensive alliance, it nonetheless signals to Turkey that its actions will have limits imposed by a coalition fearful of Turkish expansion.
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