Revenge in the Sudan

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat felt impelled to intervene. He telephoned Sudan's President, Major General Jaafar Numeiry, in Khartoum and offered a bit of advice: spare the life of Shafie Ahmed Sheikh, secretary-general of the Sudan's federation of trade unions, winner of the Lenin Peace Prize and a leader of the Arab world's strongest Communist Party (6,000 active members). Coolly, Numeiry said he would have been delighted to comply with the Egyptian request except for one thing --Sheikh had been hanged two hours before the telephone call.

Sheikh was one of three top-echelon Communists and eleven Sudanese army officers executed last week. Numeiry was taking bloody revenge for the unsuccessful revolt attempted the week before by Communist-oriented Sudanese army officers (TIME, Aug. 2). In the process he was virtually declaring war on the Communist Party.

"There will be no more Sudanese Communists wandering around," vowed a loyalist government minister as mass arrests and summary trials were carried out. At least 1,000 had been arrested by week's end. Among those executed were two officers who had been pulled off a British airplane two weeks ago by Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi and handed over to Numeiry. Lieut. Colonel Babakr al Nour, who had been flying home to Khartoum from London, denied prior knowledge of the plot against Numeiry. Then why had Nour been named leader of the new rebel government? Numeiry asked. "Was it because of your beautiful brown eyes?" Unable to answer, Nour was led away and shot at the Shajara army camp outside Khartoum.

Shortly afterward, the head of Sudan's Communist Party was also found guilty of treason. Abdel Khalek Mahgoub denied that he had advance knowledge of the plot. Again Numeiry stepped in to play prosecutor. He held up a sheet of paper listing Cabinet choices in a post-Numeiry government and asked Mahgoub if the handwriting were his. The Communist leader admitted that it was. The military court quickly found Mahgoub guilty of treason and hanged him.

Russian Protest. The executions had international repercussions. The Soviets could scarcely ignore the attack on an important Middle Eastern Communist party, especially since Communism has such an uncertain hold in the area (see box). Moscow officially warned Khartoum against what it called "the impermissibility of resorting to extreme measures"--a hint that the some 1,000 East bloc technicians working in the Sudan might be recalled.

To counter the criticism, Numeiry convened a press conference in Khartoum and described the treatment he had received when he was held by the rebels during the coup. "It was reprehensible," he said. "I went to the toilet only once in four days when I absolutely insisted on it." Then Numeiry put the onus for any breakdown in relations on the Russians. "If they want to choose that path, we will have no alternative," Numeiry said--which could mean he may beat the Russians to the punch by expelling the advisers before the Kremlin could order them to return home.

Tripoli Summit. In the midst of the furor over events in the Sudan, Libya's Gaddafi decided once again to project himself into the Middle East spotlight. He called together an instant Arab summit in Tripoli with a selective guest list. The three Arab Kings--Hassan of Morocco, Feisal of Saudi Arabia and Hussein of Jordan--were snubbed. Gaddafi scorns them as too conservative; moreover, his primary reason for the summit was to discuss Hussein's hard attacks on the Arab guerrillas who have long used Jordan as a major base of operations. Iraq, everybody's odd man out and the only Arab government to support the Sudanese rebels, was also ignored.

Only four of the nine leaders who had been invited showed up. Hussein sarcastically thanked Gaddafi for "the invitation which I never received" and prayed facetiously that "God may direct you on the right path."

Sisco in Israel. The disorganized Arab situation was tailor-made for the Israeli government, particularly since U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Joseph J. Sisco arrived in Jerusalem last week for further discussions on the moribund Suez peace proposals. The Israelis argue that with the Arab world in turmoil, this is no time to sign a peace agreement with Egypt. Sadat reinforced these arguments by delivering a militant speech promising to break the impasse before the end of this year with "political and military" steps and expressing his willingness to sacrifice 1,000,000 men in the effort.

If Sisco is not likely to get anywhere with his peace proposals, neither are the Israelis with their request for up to 50 more U.S.-built Phantom jets. Washington fears a fresh arms delivery would wreck any chance of a Suez settlement. As one U.S. official said last week, the Suez proposals are "the one remaining diplomatic thread" in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

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