ABSTRACT
As suggested in earlier chapters, the Ethiopian revolution proved to be a seminal event in the realignment of regional and global forces which were to hold profound implications for those actors involved in the Horn of Africa. For example, the diplomatic union between the United States and the Sudan resulted from this transitional period, and by 1977 Numeiry had become the most vociferous anti-Soviet voice in the region. As if trying to demonstrate the authenticity of his anti-Soviet attitude, he publicly complained of America’s “failure” to join Western powers in a movement against Soviet expansionism and the threat it posed to pro-Western governments in the area. In a personal message to Carter, Numeiry wrote:
We believe that the Soviet Union is pursuing a sinister grand design in Africa, leading to some definite goals. We are truly alarmed at the extent of Soviet influence in our region, alarmed at the means it uses and at the ultimate goal it drives at. Against this vigorous Soviet activity in Africa, we notice that the American role is generally quite passive. We expect and hope that the United States, in the prevailing circumstances in Africa, would respond favorably to requests for help from those countries ready and eager to defend themselves against the Soviet threat. 1
