Ahmed Tayfour, a journalist, was tragically killed by the tragedy
By Sidiq Mihesi
In 1961, in the Al-Zaman newspaper, the late Ahmed Tayfour joined us, an inspector from Al-Gait who was expelled from the Al-Jazeera project due to the famous strike of the Gait inspectors. He chose journalism as an alternative to his job as an inspector. After working in cotton sorting, he decided to try sorting news.
Tayfour, of Eritrean roots, worked with us for two years, during which he was active in writing articles about the Eritrean revolution. He missed the opportunity to get close to it. He became the first Sudanese journalist to enter the territories liberated by the Eritrean rebels from the occupying Ethiopian army.
Tayfour spent about two months among the rebels and returned with a wealth of information and insights about the rebels and the atrocities committed by the Ethiopian army against the Eritrean people, including the burning of villages and farms and the poisoning of water wells.
Upon his return to Khartoum, Tayfour found that the October Peoples Revolution had overthrown the regime of General Abboud. He joined the October newspaper, issued by the federal politician Saleh Mahmoud Ismail, who was the first Minister of Information in the first government of the October Peoples Revolution. After leaving the ministry, Ismail published a newspaper called October in honor of the revolution that toppled Abboud. He was a strong supporter of the Eritrean revolution and immediately agreed to publish Tayfours investigations.
Tayfour traveled to the liberated territories after the Eritrean Liberation Front, under the leadership of Osman Saleh Sabbe, facilitated his journey with strict security measures until he reached the liberated territories. The preparations for this risky journey, sometimes on foot and sometimes on the backs of camels, were conducted with the utmost secrecy. They moved at night and in the early morning hours, avoiding the moonlit nights.
Tayfour spent nearly two months among the rebels and returned with a wealth of information, meeting with fighters and field leaders, and exposing the atrocities committed by the Ethiopian army against the Eritrean people. However, the editor-in-chief, Abdel Aziz Hassan, refused to publish it, fearing to anger the Abboud government, which had maintained good relations with Emperor Haile Selassie, the host of the Organization of African Unity.
Tayfours selection for this mission only occurred after I had declined the invitation. It was on a winter evening when a delegation from the Eritrean Liberation Front entered the newspapers building carrying some military data about the rebels operations against the Ethiopian army. At the time, I was responsible for the international news page, so the delegation offered me the opportunity to visit the liberated territories, which I accepted. However, the editor-in-chief, Abdel Aziz Hassan, refused to even consider the proposal. Nevertheless, Ahmed Tayfour volunteered for the mission and expressed his willingness to travel without the editor-in-chiefs approval, who advised him to find another newspaper to publish his impressions.
Tayfour headed to the liberated territories after the Eritrean Liberation Front arranged his journey under the leadership of Osman Saleh Sabbe, deep within their secured territories. With great secrecy, preparations were made for this risky journey, sometimes on foot and sometimes on camelback. They moved stealthily at night and in the early morning hours, avoiding moonlit nights.
Tayfour spent nearly two months among the rebels and returned with a wealth of information and meetings with fighters and field leaders, exposing the atrocities committed by the Ethiopian army against the Eritrean people, including burning villages, farms, and the poisoning of water wells.
Upon his return to Khartoum, Tayfour found that the October Peoples Revolution had overthrown General Abbouds regime. He joined the October newspaper, which was published by the federal politician Saleh Mahmoud Ismail, the first Minister of Information in the first government of the October Peoples Revolution. Ismail was known for his influential weekly column titled Asdaa in the Al-Akhbar newspaper, owned by Rahmi Mohamed Saleh. After leaving the ministry, Ismail established a newspaper called October in honor of the revolution that overthrew Abboud. He was a strong supporter of the Eritrean revolution and immediately agreed to publish Tayfours investigations. As described by the writer Sadiq Omar Jaffar al-Syri, it was a professional triumph and an opening in the Sudanese journalism world. It was perhaps the first time a newspaper went searching for news outside the countrys borders. These investigations, which often filled an entire page with eight columns and sometimes more, became the talk of the town, not only in the capital but also in cities across Sudan.
Ahmed Tayfour became a shining star and a daring hero.
The investigations caused a significant stir in the political arena. There was a furious and angry reaction from the military attache and intelligence officer, Colonel Tergawi, who was sent by Emperor Haile Selassie to Sudan to monitor the activities of the Eritrean rebels. He had to act quickly in response to what had happened, fearing retribution from the Emperor.
With the help of his journalist and agent friends, Tergawi plotted a plan to capture Tayfour. They successfully lured him to the Manshiya Hotel, a new hotel in eastern Khartoum with a pool lit by lights and surrounded by elegant tables in a romantic atmosphere.
Tayfour found himself face to face with the Ambassador of Hell, as we used to call him. However, he was not oblivious to his surroundings, knowing that two of his colleagues were absent at the time, so he did not expect the host to do anything to disrupt the evening. The glasses were filled, and Tergawi put a drug in Tayfours glass, making him lose consciousness, while the two journalists discreetly left after completing their mission. The Ambassador of Hell then carried his unconscious victim to his car and drove him to his home in the upscale neighborhood of Al-Amarat. There, he photographed Tayfour in compromising positions, which he later used as leverage against him, threatening to publish them in newspapers and distribute them to his acquaintances and friends if he did not comply with his demands. The conditions were that Tayfour would put his name on a book titled The Truth About the Eritrean Liberation Front, a book that slandered the revolution and portrayed the rebels as bandits blocking roads. The late journalist had no choice but to yield to the intense pressure exerted by the criminal against him.
The book The Truth About the Eritrean Liberation Front by Ahmed Tayfour began printing at the Al-Zaman newspapers press, which was published and edited by the journalist Abdel Aziz Hassan. It was accused of being the first link between Tergawi and Ahmed Tayfour. Some of the newspapers workers, who were displeased with what was being prepared for the Eritrean leaders, informed them of the situation and provided them with copies of the books drafts before printing. The book was not written by Ahmed Tayfour. The author of this account is the journalist Omar Jaffar al-Syri, but it was based on what Tayfour had written in 21 October and was craftily altered. The book, with great cunning, claimed that the Eritreans sought to separate Kassala once their state was liberated.
A delegation of Eritrean leaders, including Omar al-Syri, made a frantic effort to find the original author of the book. They visited the office of Hussein Osman, the well-known journalist and poet, and the owner and editor-in-chief of Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed magazine. He held the manuscript and read the introduction and some chapters. After a deep silence that lasted a few minutes, he told them, This introduction and scattered passages in the text could only have been written by two journalists in Sudan, one of them is me, and the other is A H (Ahmed Tayfour), known for his strong relationship with Tergawi.
The crimes of Tergawi against the Eritreans and Tayfour went unpunished, and he continued his activities without repercussions from anyone. He established a spy network consisting of politicians and journalists and even recruited Ethiopian prostitutes in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities to spy on Eritreans and sympathizers. One of his major crimes was the assassination of the Ethiopian opposition figure Kebdi Tsama and two of his assistants, whose bodies were found in the area between the airport and Buri.
Tergawi, as we called him, established two clubs in Khartoum, naming them the Ethiopian Community Club. They offered Ethiopian drinks and cuisine at affordable prices. The waitresses were beautiful Ethiopian girls to attract customers. This club quickly became a popular spot for journalists, politicians, and socialites due to its low prices. In this way, Tergawi managed to secure a new source of information, the clubs patrons who had diverse backgrounds.
He returned to Sudan as a fugitive after the coup led by Mengistu Haile Mariam against Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974. However, the Nimeiri intelligence arrested him at the border and imprisoned him for years. After his release, he sought asylum in the United Kingdom, where he later passed away.
