The current fighting, centred on one of Africa's largest urban areas, could not only destroy those hopes but destabilise a volatile region bordering the Sahel, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.
The popular uprising had raised hopes that Sudan and its population of 46 million could emerge from decades of autocracy, internal conflict and economic isolation under Bashir. Both the FFC and Hemedti, who grew wealthy through gold mining and other ventures, stressed the need to sideline Islamist-leaning Bashir loyalists and veterans who had regained a foothold following the coup and have deep roots in the army.Īlong with some pro-army rebel factions that benefited from a 2020 peace deal, the Bashir loyalists opposed the deal for a new transition. The protagonists in the power struggle are General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the army and leader of Sudan's ruling council since 2019, and his deputy on the council, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti.Īs the plan for a new transition developed, Hemedti aligned himself more closely with civilian parties from a coalition, the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), that shared power with the military between Bashir's overthrow and the 2021 coup.ĭiplomats and analysts said this was part of a strategy by Hemedti to transform himself into a statesman and cement his position at the centre of power. Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics WHO ARE THE MAIN PLAYERS ON THE GROUND? The army accused the RSF of illegal mobilisation in preceding days and the RSF, as it moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum, said the army had tried to seize full power in a plot with Bashir loyalists.
When fighting broke out, both sides blamed the other for provoking the violence. A second was the chain of command between the army and RSF leaders and the question of civilian oversight. One was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces. A final deal was due to be signed in early April, on the fourth anniversary of the overthrow of long-ruling Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising.īoth the army and the RSF were required to cede power under the plan and two issues proved especially contentious. The friction was brought to a head by an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties. Tension had been building for months between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which together toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup. KHARTOUM, April 17 (Reuters) - A conflict in Sudan that erupted on April 15 has killed hundreds of people, driven more than 100,000 to flee across the borders and displaced hundreds of thousands inside the country where many already relied on international aid before fighting began.
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