Tensions which were brewing for several weeks between Sudan’s two most powerful generals erupted into a full-blown conflict this Saturday.
The armed forces chief General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo are now fighting over several issues and have halted the process for a return to the democratic transition.
Before delving into the current situation, it should be noted that the years 2019 and 2021 are related to the current crisis that has engulfed the African country.
The country, described by the Associated Press, is at the crossroads of the Arab world and Africa and in 2019, through largely peaceful protests ousted former president Omar al-Bashir, with the help of the military.
The military after overthrowing Bashir took control of the resource-rich nation for two years while setting up a government under former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok and the Sovereign Council, a joint military and civilian body.
This was dissolved in October 2021 and it led to protests and more than 150 people were injured and close to 100 people died.
After General Burhan assumed control of the country with the help of the RSF, negotiations began towards the end of 2022 for a return to the democratic transition that had been halted by the October 2021 coup.
What Led to the Fighting?
The Sudanese military and the RSF are now deployed in full capacity in Khartoum, signalling that the fighting could intensify. Over 200 people have died and 1,800 have been injured in the fight that has been raging over three days.
The fighting began because RSF chief Dagalo wanted the RSF to be integrated into the Sudan military. There were also thorny issues like who would have more control over fighters and weapons.
A report by the Associated Press claimed that Dagalo is trying to fashion himself as a supporter of the transition and wants democracy to return and this year he even criticised General Burhan by saying that his military does not want to “relinquish power”.
Dagalo, according to the Associated Press report, played a major role during the 2003 Darfur conflict in clamping down on Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) which claimed that the non-Arab Sudanese were being oppressed by the Sudanese of Arabic origin.
Dagalo over the weekend began deploying forces around the small town of Merowe north of the capital. The Associated Press pointed out that Merowe is strategic due to its large airport, central location and downstream electric dam on the Nile River.
He also sent more forces around Khartoum without Burhan’s consent.
Fighting erupted at a military base south of Khartoum and both sides are blaming each other for starting the tensions. Fighting in Khartoum and twin city Omdurman continues with both sides fighting each other with heavy weapons, including armoured vehicles and truck-mounted machine guns, in densely populated areas of the capital.
The fighting has spread to the strategic coastal city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea and eastern regions, on the borders with Ethiopia and Eritrea and also to the wartorn Darfur region.
What Now?
The prospects of a ceasefire are slim. The US secretary of state Antony Blinken, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have urged all sides to deescalate the situation.
It is unclear if the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, with the three-day holiday of Eid al-Fitr, will play a role and bring some respite to the Sudanese population.
Foreign Powers at Play
Russia, the US and the European Union are all vying to take control of the resource-rich African country. The Encyclopedia Britannica says Sudan has gold, uranium, chromite, gypsum, mica, marble and iron ore and a huge potential when it comes to generating electricity through hydroelectric plants.
Russian mercenary group Wager started making inroads into Sudan when Bashir was in power. Dagalo’s RSF and the Sudanese army under Burhan forged close ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The army controls several resource-rich zones but the RSF controls major gold mining areas. However, the country of over 46 million people is one of the poorest developing countries of the world with over a large section of the population living in poverty.
Read all the Latest News here
Comments
0 comment