Congressmen request President Bush to investigate the role of Sudanese officials in terrorism acts

WASHINGTON, Feb 11, 2004 (Sudan Tribune) — Two Congressmen requested President Bush to investigate the role of Sudanese officials and determine their responsibility in terrorists acts committed against American interests and the Egyptian President.

In a letter addressed to the American President, by Donald Payne and Thomas Tancredo, the congressional representatives asked that the role of high ranking officials such as Vice President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, Nafee Ali Nafee, Ghazi Salahadin Attabani and Awad El Jaz to be investigated.

Congressman Donald M. Payne, a Democratic representative from New Jersey, is a member of the Subcommittee on Africa of the Committee on International Relations.
While Thomas Tancredo is a Republican representative from Colorado.

Below the Full text of the Letter :

February 5, 2004

– The Honorable George W. Bush
– President
– United State of America
– The White House
– 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W.
– Washington, D. C.

We are writing to you to request an investigation into the extent of involvement, direct and indirect, by senior Sudanese government officials in support of terrorism and terror groups over the past decade. As you are well aware, the government of Sudan, which came to power through a military coup in 1989, has been on the U.S. State Department state sponsors of terror list since 1993. Despite the reported cooperation with the United State since the September 11th terrorist attacks, we strongly believe that senior Sudanese officials involved directly or indirectly in support of terrorism should be held accountable and brought to justice.

Mr. President, as we fight terror groups and terror sponsors in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere in the world, we must also ensure that those individuals involved in terrorism in the past or present must not be allowed to escape justice, for far too many Americans have died in part due to support given by Sudanese officials to international terrorist organizations. This is the same government that gave sanctuary to Osama bin Laden from 1991-1996, allowing him to build his terror network worldwide. In fact, we would assert that Al-Qaeda was conceived and created in Sudan in the early 19990s. Other terrorist acts also link current officials directly or indirectly. It is appalling to learn that not a single senior official has been removed from power or has gone to jail because of involvement in or support of terrorist activities.

Indeed, concerns about the Government of Sudan’s support for terror groups remain to this day. The Government of Sudan has refused to disassociate itself from terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, which openly maintain offices in Khartoum, and which the government pointedly refuses to close. It is important to recall that the government of Sudan’s involvement in international terrorism goes back over a decade. Sudanese officials were involved directly or indirectly in the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. The mastermind of the 1993 bombing, Sheikh Abdel Raham, who was sentenced to life in 1995, received his visa in Khartoum, Sudan and reportedly was a guest of a senior Sudanese government official for several weeks. Of the 15 men indicted for the terror act, five are Sudanese nationals. These Sudanese nationals had strong ties with Sudanese diplomats stationed at the time in New York in the Sudan Embassy at the United Nations.

Mr. President, as you are well aware, in 1995, members of the terrorist group Gama’a Islamiya tried to assassinate President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt while he was in Ethiopia for an OAU Summit. The 11-man assassination team had been given safe haven in Sudan to prepare for their mission to kill the Egyptian president. The weapons used in the assassination attempt were reportedly flown into Ethiopia by Sudan Airways. The passports used by the assassins were also prepared in Khartoum, according to a United Nation report. After the foiled attempt, one of the assassins escaped to Sudan on Sudan Airways where he joined two other members of the team. The United Nation Security Council imposed punitive sanctions on Sudan in 1996, demanding the extradition of the three suspects. To date, the whereabouts of these terrorists are unknown, although there were reports at the time suggesting that senior Sudanese officials facilitated the escape of the three suspects to Afghanistan.

Our war on terrorism cannot succeed if we allow well-known terrorists to escape justice. Many of our citizens died as a result of the direct or indirect involvement of senior officials in the Government of Sudan. While we do not want to prejudge people and unfairly blame others, we ask that the Administration conduct a serious investigation in to the roles played by senior government officials in Sudan. Like many Americans, we would like to know the following :

1. Did senior officials in the current government of Sudan play a direct or indirect role in the support of terrorist acts against the United States?

2. What role, if any, did senior Sudanese officials play in the first World Trade Center bombing, in the assassination attempt of President Hosni Mubarak, or the bombing of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania?

3. How many senior officials have been removed from office or jailed for their role in support of terror groups?

4. How many Sudanese “volunteer” fighters are currently in Iraq involved in terror attacks against American troops? Did the government of Sudan facilitate the departure of these extremists from Sudan to Iraq?

5. What kind of support is the Government of Sudan currently providing to Hamas and Hezbollah?

6. What direct or indirect role did the listed officials below play in support of international terrorism?

1. Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, first Vice President.

2. Dr. Nafee Ali Nafee, Minister of Federal Government and former Minister of Interior (External Intelligence).

3. Dr. Ghazi Salahadin, President Advisor senior member of the National Islamic Front.

4. Dr. Awad Ahmed El Jaz, Minister of Energy and Mining.

5. Dr. Mutref Sadig Nimeri, Director General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Chief during the Mubarak assassination attempt.

6. Dr. Qutbi Al-Mahdi, former External Intelligence Chief.

7. Major General Salah Abdalla, the present Director of Internal Security Branch.

8. Major General El Hadi El Nakasha, Minister of Cabinet Affairs.

9. Dr. Abdul Karim Abdalla, Director of External Security Branch.

10. Major General Osama Abdalla, National Congress Party.

11. Major General Jamal Zamgan.

12. Major General Emad El Din Hussein.

We thank you for your attention to this important matter and look forward to receiving your response.

– Donald M. Payne, member of Congress
– Thomas Tancredo, member of Congress