Sudan and the assassination attempt on President Mubarak in June 1995: a cornerstone in ideological reverse

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article explores the failed assassination attempt on the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on 26 June 1996, which allegedly involved logistical and financial support from some elements in Sudanese intelligence. This episode had a large impact on the Sudanese regime, as it encountered massive internal and external challenges that almost led to its downfall. The article examines the implications of the assassination attempt on the regime. It investigates the external and domestic dynamics following the incident and the change of perspective among the government elite in its engagement with the international sphere. The article focuses on the risks confronted by the Sudanese regime, and the foreign and internal policy it pursued to avert catastrophic repercussions. It examines the political, economic, military and security threats that followed, as well as the pragmatic path adopted by the regime to secure its grip on power. For the first time since independence, Sudan was condemned in the UN Security Council as a consequence of the attack, and this ultimately led to regime fragmentation.