27.4 C
Accra
Monday, December 23, 2024
WorldTwo opposing generals struggle for power in Sudan

Date:

Two opposing generals struggle for power in Sudan

Hopes for a peaceful switch to civilian government have been dashed by fierce fighting throughout Sudan.

Two opposing generals’ forces are fighting for power, and as is so frequently the case, civilians have been hit hardest, with dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.

What you should know is as follows.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo are the two men at the center of the fighting.

They had previously been allies. The two collaborated to remove Omar al-Bashir as president of Sudan in 2019 and were instrumental in the military takeover of that country 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: who would be subordinate to who under the new hierarchy.

These hostilities, sources told CNN, are the culmination of what both parties view as an existential fight for dominance.

It is difficult to overstate how seismic Bashir’s overthrow was. He had led the country for nearly three decades when popular protests that began over soaring bread prices toppled him from power.

During his rule, South Sudan split from the north while the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Bashir alleged war crimes in Darfur, a separatist Western region.

After Bashir’s ouster, Sudan was ruled by an uneasy alliance between the military and civilian groups.

That all ended in 2021, when the power-sharing government was dissolved by armed forces.

The Rapid Support Forces are the preeminent paramilitary group in Sudan, whose leader, Dagalo, has 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.

Burhan is essentially Sudan’s leader. At the time of Bashir’s toppling, Burhan was the army’s inspector general.

His career has run an almost parallel course to Dagalo’s.

He also rose to prominence in the 2000’s for his role in the dark days of the Darfur conflict, where the two men are believed to have first came into contact.

Al-Burhan and Hemedti both cemented their rise to power by currying favor with the Gulf powerhouses.

They commanded separate battalions of Sudanese forces, who were sent to serve with the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen.

Now they find themselves locked in a power struggle.

Where the fighting will end is unclear. Both sides claim control over key sites and fighting has been reported across the country in places far from the capital Khartoum.

While various official and non-official estimates place the Sudanese armed forces at around 210-220,000, the RSF are believed to number approximately 70,000 but are better trained and better equipped.

International powers have expressed alarm. Apart from concerns over civilians there are likely other motivations at play – Sudan is resource-rich and strategically located.

CNN has previously reported on how Russia has colluded with Sudan’s military leaders to smuggle gold out of Sudan.

Dagalo’s forces were a key recipient of Russian training and weaponry, and Sudan’s military leader Burhan is also believed by CNN’s Sudanese sources to have been backed by Russia, before international pressure forced him to publicly disavow the presence of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, in Sudan.

Sudan’s neighbors Egypt and South Sudan have offered to mediate, but in the meantime all that is certain is more misery for the Sudanese people.

[forminator_poll id="710479"]

Latest stories

NPP to set up committee to review defeat in 2024 polls

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has revealed its intention...

We cannot release results with GHS25m – WAEC to govt

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has expressed frustration...

Govt misses T-bills target as interest rates near 30%

The government narrowly missed its treasury bills target as...

NPP issuing last-minute appointments to sabotage us – NDC

The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC),...

280 NPP members, including Cynthia Morrison expelled for violating party ethics

The Agona West Constituency of the New Patriotic Party...

Ruto expands cabinet to include more opposition to secure national unity

Kenya’s President William Ruto has brought more opposition leaders...

OB Amponsah makes history with 4,000-seat Comedy Show

Ghanaian optometrist and comedian OB Amponsah made history by...

Related stories

Biden grants full pardon to son Hunter amid criminal sentencing

US President Joe Biden has granted a full and...

Court issues 2-year suspended death sentence to former Bank of China Chair for bribery, others

Former Bank of China chairman Liu Liange on Tuesday received...

Ghanaians among UN peacekeepers injured in Southern Lebanon attacks

The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon has reported...

Russia denies Trump told Putin to restrain Ukraine war efforts

The Kremlin has rejected media reports suggesting that US...

More than 100 detained as protesters defy Amsterdam’s ban on protests

Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested in Amsterdam on...

Traffic jam erupts as cyclists from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng for dumplings

A social media trend that began as a lighthearted...

Adin Ross wins $1.6m on Trump election bet after public endorsement

American streamer and social media influencer Adin Ross scored...