Posted on 22 April 2024
The civil war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has rapidly escalated into one of the world’s most dire humanitarian crises. The conflict began with a violent power struggle in Khartoum, the nation’s capital, between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group. The military, loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by former warlord Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, have been at odds since they cooperated in ousting the former dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. This discord has led to a catastrophic situation where over 8 million people have been displaced, seeking refuge from the relentless violence that has taken over their homeland.
The heart of the conflict lies in Darfur, a region that has long suffered from political and economic marginalization, igniting a rebellion over two decades ago. The RSF, originally known as the Janjaweed and notorious for their brutal tactics, was repurposed by Bashir to quell insurgencies in the region. With recruits primarily drawn from Hemedti’s own Rizeigat tribe, the RSF has continued to exert terror in Darfur, contributing to the lawlessness and ethnic violence that plague the area. The current power struggle is a continuation of this long-standing strife, with the RSF’s involvement in ethnic cleansing campaigns further exacerbating the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Sudan.
Source: The Guardian
Photo by Oxfam East Africa via Wikimedia