Khartoum- The breakout clash between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was expected in 2019. And for some reason, the expected conflict was buried in the tacit postponement of doomsday.
Beyond what seems widely understood to be a clash between SAF and RSF—a paramilitary group that emerged from the remnant of Janjaweed militias who fought on the side of the Sudanese government in the Land Cruiser War from 2003 to 2020—it is a clash of egos between the two generals in command of the ranks and files of the army and the paramilitary.
Recently, amidst efforts to bring the two groups to the negotiation table and restore peace, an international ceasefire arrangement was brokered in a landmark dual-concert truce, but it failed to restore momentary peace between the belligerent groups as fighting continued, leading to an increase in the number of casualties.
In late 2018, large-scale protests spread into the inner cities of Khartoum, with protesters demanding the removal of Sudan’s longest-serving leader, Omar al-Bashir.
Bashir was internationally accused to have carried out genocide and war crimes, which led the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue a warrant of arrest against him.
In 2019, he was forced to leave the presidency after 30 years of forceful leadership. He was ousted by a section of the Sudanese army, which claimed that he looted the treasury and had given orders that led to the deaths of innocent protesters. Bashir was eventually convicted and sent to the state’s correctional facility.
Bashir’s exit left a power vacuum in Sudan, which was swiftly filled by two army generals who had in their ranks loyal fighters who were heavily armed. Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the SAF, who became the de facto leader on one hand, and the Sudanese army chief, Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of the RSF, who became the vice president on the other hand.
For sixteen years, still, under military strife, the people of Sudan anticipated a likely clash between the two generals. This expectation became a reality a few weeks ago following a clash between the two groups in what was clearly a fight for the control of power.
