Sudan Unrest Explained

It's been over four months since the conflict in Sudan, a north-east African country started.

The unrest has brought violent battles not just to the streets of the capital Khartoum but also to the

rest of the nation including Darfur, reviving ethnically-targeted attacks.

Two military generals are at the centre of this dispute. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the

Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Burhan’s ex-deputy and leader of the

Rapid Support Forces, the country’s main paramilitary group.

There has been a power rotation between the army and RSF for four years after the toppling of

former long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir. Since 2019 both parties have disagreed on the direction

of the country and the proposed move toward civilian rule.

Just before fighting broke out on April 15, both sides fell out over a plan to include the 100,000-

strong RSF in the army and who would lead the new force. RSF was deployed around the

country. The army saw the move as a threat. Talks didn’t resolve the issue leading to days of

tension. It's not certain who fired the first shot but fighting quickly escalated and has led to the

deaths of more than 3,000 people. The UN says over 4 million people have been displaced

within Sudan and across its borders. The fighting has triggered outbreaks of disease and an

increase in malnutrition. Many residents are also living without water and electricity.

The Sudanese army has long relied on the RSF in Darfur. The region has been in conflict for 20

years. There had been ethnic tensions between Arab and non-Arab communities for decades

but full-scale war broke out in 2003. The rebels known as the Sudan Liberation Army aimed to overthrow the government to end Darfur’s marginalisation. But then President Omar

al-Bashir recruited militias nicknamed the “Janjaweed” to fight them. Around 400,000 people

were killed and three million were displaced. Despite the efforts of the army and the local

militia, the rebels survived and the conflict endured.

In 2013, the government decided to form an enhanced paramilitary body called the Rapid

Support Forces led by Dagalo also known as Hemedti. Six years later he aligned with Burhan and

other army generals to overthrow al-Bashir and share power. After years of power-sharing, the

former allies have now turned deadly rivals.

Dagalo says the RSF is fighting to ensure democratic progress and Burhan says he will only hand

over power to an elected government. Analysts say both men want to cling to power and are

unwilling to lose the perks that come with it - wealth and influence. A framework deal to hand

over power to civilians was agreed last December but talks to finalise the details have failed.

Efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to secure a ceasefire have stalled. With no

progress in reaching a truce, escalating clashes, and no sign of an end to the conflict, the

Sudanese people are facing unimaginable suffering. The UN says the fighting has plunged 20.3

million people into severe acute hunger.

Amnesty International has accused the warring sides of committing war crimes. The

humanitarian situation in West and Central Darfur has been described as catastrophic. The

dynamics of the conflict are becoming more complex as fighting spreads.