Tehran’s Government Delegation Leaves behind Cultural Debris in Khartoum

Khartoum- Sudan’s declaration on the Iranian embassy staff officially leaving Khartoum cannot alone remove impact left by the long and intertwined relationship between Khartoum and Tehran, nor remove the implications of the great efforts made by the latter to spread Shi’ism in Sudan. Mainly, even if the official part of Iran left Sudan, yet thousands of those affected by Shi’ism have becomes Shiites themselves and were affected by Iran’s ideology.

The Sudanese government has cut diplomatic ties with Iran after an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran amid a row over the execution of a Shiite Muslim cleric. It gave the ambassador and his crew two weeks to leave the country and announced on the 20th of January that the delegation has officially departed Khartoum as scheduled.

In September 2014, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry ordered the closure of Iranian cultural center in the capital Khartoum and its branches in other states. Also the Iranian cultural attaché and the staff of the center were also asked to leave the country as they were considered a cultural and intellectual threat for the Sudanese community.

Economically, Iran established a number of economic projects like “Iran Gas”, where thousands of employees work with branches in different areas of Sudan. However, it does not give power of attorney except for Shiites or those close to Shiism.

Iran has also played a major role in oil extraction and drilling in Sudan in an economic platform to spread Shi’ism. Also, founding the Council on African Affairs was considered one of the major political aspects for the Iranian penetration in Sudan’s affairs.