While wars in Israel and Ukraine have attracted much of the general public’s attention in recent months, the crisis in Sudan has been dangerously overlooked. The escalation of conflict in Sudan began in April this year as the country’s two leaders found themselves at odds regarding the future of their people. Sudan’s government is built on the basis of military leadership, with two men at its center: Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the armed forces (SAF), and his deputy Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A strong, brutal militia, the RSF has developed a notoriety for human rights violations and violence, especially after the massacre of protesters in 2019.
The two leaders have a history of violent partnership. In 2003, a rebellion in Darfur called for Gen Burhan’s leadership of the Sudanese army. At the same time, Hemedti’s Janjaweed, the militia preceding the RSF, was accused of ethnic cleansing and mass rape used to subdue those same rebels. After this show of military power, the military leader of Sudan at the time, Omar al-Bashir, had come to rely on the RSF to quell rebellions. Eventually, the Gen Burhan and Hemedti worked together to overthrow al-Bashir in 2019. However, tensions quickly arose as their opinions on the country’s future differed. Gen Burhan wanted to restore the majority Islamic state to its former power and aimed to incorporate al-Bashir’s members into his reign. Hemedti viewed these members with skepticism and was viewed by them as “unfit to rule the state” because of his common origins (BBC). Finally, this divide came to a point at the question of the RSF’s integration into the Sudanese military. Hemedti deployed the RSF members across the country, and Gen Burhan’s SAF saw this as a threat. While Hemedti claims he is fighting for democratic processes in Sudan, the military leader continues to support the RSF’s brutal practices of suppression. On the other hand, Gen Burhan expresses support for civilian rule, but many suspect he has ties to the previous al-Bashir government and does not truly want to hand over any power to the people.
Whatever the leaders’ true intentions are, their actions have led to the displacement and deaths of much of the Sudanese civilian population. Within the past month, the RSF has seized Nyala, Geneina, and Zalingei, all major cities in western Darfur. After capturing a military base in Geneina on November 4, the RSF massacred hundreds of people living in the nearby displacement camp. Tony Harward, the UN coordinator for Sudan has described reports of “assassinations, massacres of families and civilians… detentions and forced disappearances” coming from Geneina and other areas of the country. After Nyala’s seizure on October 26, witnesses reported three full days of looting and violence enforced by the RSF fighters. Most recently, the RSF has surrounded Fashir, which houses an armed militia as well as many displaced civilians. Violence seems inevitable as the RSF continues to expand into Darfur. How long the dangerous conflict will persist is unclear, and both military leaders seem determined to keep their authoritative power. Until international forces intervene, or a resolution can be created, more and more civilian lives will be lost in this deadly war.