What’s going on in Sudan now: InsightNews explains

An aggressive power struggle inside the military leadership of the country is the root cause of the fighting that has broken out in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and other parts of the nation.

Attack on the US, EU and the UN employees

A diplomatic convoy for the United States was targeted in Sudan, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. The World Health Organization, the United Nations agency for global health, claims that although “the heaviest concentration of fighting” is still concentrated in the densely populated capital of Khartoum, the conflict swiftly extended to other regions of the country.

Three World Food Programme personnel who were working in the starving North Darfur area of Sudan were among those killed. The World Food Programme, a division of the United Nations that provides food assistance, reported that two other employees were hurt in the same event on Saturday. Because of the violence, the World Food Programme was compelled to temporarily cease all activities in Sudan.

Aidan O’Hara, an Irish diplomat serving as the EU’s ambassador in Sudan, was attacked while at home in Khartoum.

Borrell claims that what took place was a flagrant infraction of the Vienna Convention. “The security of diplomatic premises and personnel is the main responsibility of the Sudanese authorities and an obligation under international law,” he emphasized.

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Image source: The New York Times

As the battle entered its third day, clashes between opposing armed forces expanded throughout the capital’s streets and to all four corners of the nation. Early on Sunday morning, artillery barrages struck Sudan’s military headquarters.

Military governance has its’ setbacks

General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces and effectively the president of the country, and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, his deputy and the leader of the RSF, have led the council of generals that has governed Sudan since the coup in 2021.

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Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo generally referred to as Hemetti, head of Rapid Support Forces (RSF), AP

Integration issues

They disagree on the direction the nation is taking and the idea of switching to a civilian administration.

Plans to integrate the 100,000-member RSF into the army and the question of who would command the new force are the main sources of contention.

The RSF members’ last-week redeployment around the nation, which the army perceived as a threat, caused days of unrest.

There was some hope that negotiations might lead to a solution, but they never took place.

Whoever fired the opening gun on Saturday morning is still up for debate, but fighting has since intensified across the nation, killing nearly 100 civilians, according to a union of Sudanese medics.

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Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan is a Sudanese, de facto ruler of Sudan
RSF is an army outside the army

The legendary Janjaweed militia, which violently suppressed rebels in Darfur and was accused of ethnic cleansing, gave rise to the RSF (Rapid Support Forces), which was established in 2013.

Gen. Dagalo has since assembled a strong force that has taken part in hostilities in Yemen and Libya. In addition, he has developed economic interests, including the ability to manage a few of Sudan’s gold mines.

The RSF has been charged with violating human rights, including the killing of over 120 demonstrators in June 2019.

Such a powerful force outside of the army has been viewed as a cause of instability in the nation.

This conflict is the most recent manifestation of tension spikes that occurred when long-serving President Omar al-Bashir was removed from office in 2019.

Massive street demonstrations demanding an end to his nearly three-decade rule were held, and the army staged a coup to remove him.

However, citizens persisted in their efforts to promote a restoration to democratic rule.

Special forces leader try populist rhetorics

The 2021 coup, according to Gen. Dagalo, was a mistake. He has also made an effort to position himself and the RSF as being on the side of the people, as opposed to the Khartoum elites.

Although he has some supporters, some find it difficult to believe this message considering the horrific history of the paramilitary group.

Gen. Burhan has further marginalized the civilian delegates who were anticipated to be a part of a power-sharing agreement by declaring that the army will only fully cede authority to an elected administration.

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