The formidable paramilitary group in Sudan, which the military claimed had stationed troops in the capital Khartoum and other regions without the army’s permission, was warned of probable conflicts on Thursday.
The signature of a pact with political parties to restart the country’s democratic transition has been delayed as a result of rising tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The military said in a statement that the development of the RSF in Khartoum and other parts of the nation was carried out without “the agreement of, or cooperation with” the leadership of the armed forces and constitutes a blatant “violation of the law.”
Recently, the paramilitary stationed forces close to the town of Merowe in northern Sudan. Meanwhile, on Thursday, footage that were shared on social media showed what appeared to be RSF-armed vehicles being brought into Khartoum, further to the south.
Disagreement is the cause of tension.
A disagreement over how the RSF should be absorbed into the military and who should be in charge of the process is the root of the most recent hostilities between the army and the paramilitary. A crucial requirement of Sudan’s unwritten transition agreement is the merger.
The conflict between the army and RSF extends back to the tyrannical President Omar al-presidency, Bashir’s which ended in 2019. The paramilitary group under al-Bashir was developed from the formidable General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo’s former Janjaweed militias, which carried out a savage crackdown in Sudan’s Darfur area during the decades-long battle there.
Even though the army and the RSF conspired to overthrow Sudan’s democratic transition in October 2021, tensions between them have grown more apparent recently as a result of divergent public pronouncements, a significant military presence in Khartoum, and concurrent foreign trips by military and RSF leaders.
The RSF stated on Wednesday that its mission is to “achieve security and stability and fight human trafficking and illegal migration” through its presence in northern Sudan and other places. Tens of thousands of soldiers are thought to be part of the powerful paramilitary organization.
Tensions between the army and the RSF are at an all-time high, and Thursday’s military statement merely “came short of accusing the RSF of committing an act of rebellion,” claims Kholood Khair, founder and director of Confluence Consulting, a think tank in Khartoum.
Concerns about new warfare in a nation with a history of internal armed conflict have been raised by the increase.
urging forbearance
Many others voiced their worries on social media. One of the biggest political parties in Sudan, the National Umma Party, asked “all political forces” to exercise patience and discourage further escalation.
In addition, the party scheduled an urgent meeting for Thursday morning with senior political figures, military, and RSF representatives. No information was made public right away after the meeting.
France, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union said in a joint statement on Thursday that they were “very concerned” about the most recent escalation. In order to create a “united, professional military answerable to a civilian administration,” it was demanded that the military and the RSF overcome the “outstanding difficulties” relating to security.
Travel alerts
The American Embassy in Khartoum issued a travel warning to Americans on Thursday in response to the escalation. Also, until next Thursday, U.S. federal employees are not allowed to leave the metropolitan region of the nation’s capital, it said.
After three decades of authoritarianism and repression under al-Bashir, the 2021 coup toppled a Western-backed, power-sharing administration and crushed Sudanese hopes for democracy.
In April 2019, al-Bashir was deposed by the military as a result of a months-long uprising by the people. The former president has since been detained in Khartoum on charges of war crimes and genocide in the Darfur crisis. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court.
