The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in West Asia has brought a new dimension to the largest country in Africa, Sudan. After six months of bloody fighting, the Sudanese armed forces have deployed their elite Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to seize control of the strategically important region of Darfur, according to reports in the Al Jazeera media.
The United Arab Emirates and neighboring Libya have reportedly provided support to the RSF, alongside Russian mercenaries hired by the Wagner Group. On the other side, Sudan’s military is receiving assistance from Egypt and Ukraine. In the battles in Darfur, the Sudanese armed forces are facing significant resistance, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of civilian populations from the western region, as reported in the media.
The current domestic conflict in Sudan has implicated two generals from the country’s armed forces. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, another senior member of the military council, both face allegations of human rights abuses, looting, violence, and rape.
For decades, these two generals played significant roles in the armed forces’ brutal crackdowns in Sudan, with General Omar al-Bashir wielding power until 2019 when he was ousted following widespread protests. Subsequently, influential military and paramilitary leaders, along with non-military leaders, formed a transitional council (council) to share power among themselves, aiming to transition the country towards a completely civilian government.
However, in October 2021, General Burhan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, ousted the interim civilian government, signaling that elections were to be held in 2023. This move caused a rift with General Burhan seeking to assert control over both the Sudanese armed forces and the RSF. In mid-April, this culminated in a violent internal conflict.
