A Simple Guide to the Fighting in Sudan: Rival Generals Battle for Control
Sudan is facing fierce fighting as two rival generals vie for control, leaving hopes for a peaceful transition to civilian rule in tatters. The clashes have resulted in dozens killed and hundreds injured, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence. Here’s what you need to know about the conflict in Sudan.
A Power Struggle is at the Center of the Fighting
The fighting is centered around Sudan’s military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The two men were allies who worked together to topple former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and played a key role in the military coup in 2021.
However, tensions arose during negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of plans to restore civilian rule. The key question was who would be subordinate to whom under the new hierarchy, leading to hostilities that are viewed as an existential fight for dominance.
Sudan is No Stranger to Upheaval
Bashir’s overthrow was a seismic event, given that he had led the country for nearly three decades. During his rule, South Sudan split from the north while the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur, a separatist Western region. After his ouster, Sudan was ruled by an uneasy alliance between the military and civilian groups, which ended in 2021 when the power-sharing government was dissolved by the armed forces.
The RSF Has a Controversial Past
The Rapid Support Forces are Sudan’s preeminent paramilitary group, led by Dagalo, who enjoyed a rapid rise to power. During Sudan’s Darfur conflict in the early 2000s, he was the leader of Sudan’s notorious Janjaweed forces, implicated in human rights violations and atrocities. An international outcry saw Bashir formalize the group into paramilitary forces known as the Border Intelligence Units. In 2007, its troops became part of the country’s intelligence services, and in 2013, Bashir created the RSF, a paramilitary group overseen by him and led by Dagalo.
Dagalo turned against Bashir in 2019, but not before his forces opened fire on an anti-Bashir, pro-democracy sit-in in Khartoum, killing at least 118 people. He was later appointed deputy of the transitional Sovereign Council that ruled Sudan in partnership with civilian leadership.
The Two Rivals Mirror Each Other
Burhan is essentially Sudan’s leader, and at the time of Bashir’s toppling, he was the army’s inspector general. His career has run an almost parallel course to Dagalo’s. Both men rose to prominence in the 2000s for their role in the Darfur conflict, where they are believed to have first come into contact. They both cemented their rise to power by currying favor with the Gulf powerhouses and commanding separate battalions of Sudanese forces sent to serve with the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen. Now, they find themselves locked in a power struggle.
Sudan Faces an Uncertain Future
The fighting’s end is uncertain, with both sides claiming control over key sites, and fighting has been reported across the country, far from the capital Khartoum. While various official and non-official estimates place the Sudanese armed forces at around 210-220,000, the RSF is believed to number approximately 70,000 but is better trained and equipped.
International powers have expressed alarm, given that Sudan is resource-rich and strategically located. There are concerns about civilians, as well as
Sudan faces an uncertain future as the fighting continues, with both sides claiming control over key sites and reports of fighting across the country. While the official estimates of the Sudanese armed forces are around 210-220,000, the RSF, with its better training and equipment, is believed to number approximately 70,000. International powers have expressed alarm over the situation, with concerns over civilians and the country’s rich resources and strategic location.
Russia has been accused of colluding with Sudan’s military leaders to smuggle gold out of the country, and Dagalo’s forces were a key recipient of Russian training and weaponry. Sudan’s military leader Burhan is also believed to have been backed by Russia, but international pressure forced him to publicly disavow the presence of the Russian mercenary group Wagner in Sudan.
In the meantime, Sudan’s neighbors Egypt and South Sudan have offered to mediate, but the situation remains volatile and uncertain, with more misery for the Sudanese people.
The Fighting in Sudan: Rival Generals Battle for Control
source : CNN
