2024-04-17 02:20:34
A year after the outbreak of war in Sudan, what if a Sudanese immigrant who left Khartoum last April returned to it today? What would he say, what would he find, in a country that has been plagued by unrest for more than two decades, and each stage is worse than the one before it.
The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been exchanging bombardments and accusations for a year, and each party has created a political justification for itself and regional and international allies, and each party says that it wants one Sudan, but no one is ready to give up anything of the weapons, money, gold, women and children under their control, despite Thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 8.5 million people, according to the United Nations.
Parties to the conflict
The war is taking place in Sudan between the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti.”
These two men were allies in 2021, and they overthrew the civilian authority with which they shared power after toppling the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
How did the fighting start?
On April 15 of last year, violent clashes took place in the capital, Khartoum, and the Rapid Support Forces announced control of the international airport, and the army launched air strikes on the bases of the Rapid Support Forces.
The next day, the United Nations World Food Program stopped its aid, after a number of relief workers were killed in the battles taking place in Darfur on the border with Chad. Thousands of Khartoum residents fled the battles, while many countries evacuated their nationals.
The spread of weapons…and the failure of initiatives
In the Darfur region, which is famous for its cleansing and mass killings, with the use of weapons on civilians, the truce concluded on April 25, mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia, did not last long, with the army and the Rapid Support Forces exchanging accusations of violating it, and all ceasefire agreements met the same fate, and later In May, the army withdrew from the ongoing negotiations in Saudi Arabia, and its forces bombed rapid support positions with heavy artillery in Khartoum.
Money is the weevil of affliction
The illicit gold trade and the subsequent money smuggling deepened the country’s suffering, and the Sudanese Minister of Finance, Jibril Ibrahim, announced that the country’s revenues had decreased by more than 80 percent, revealing that 2,700 kilograms of gold had been looted from the Khartoum government refinery.
War crimes in Darfur
On July 14, the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into possible war crimes in Darfur, in particular acts of sexual violence and the targeting of civilians based on their ethnicity.
In mid-August, the war spread to two new large cities: Al-Fasher in Darfur and Al-Fula in West Kordofan State, while fighting intensified in Khartoum.
On August 25, the United Nations saw war and hunger threatening to “wipe out” all of Sudan, with thousands of children suffering from malnutrition and at risk of death.
Confrontations in Port Sudan
On September 18, confrontations took place in Port Sudan, in the east of the country, where Al-Burhan established his base after the Rapid Support Forces surrounded the army headquarters in Khartoum.
Peace talks again
Peace talks under the auspices of the United States and Saudi Arabia resumed on October 26 in Jeddah, with the participation of IGAD, without recording any results.
In December, Washington accused the two camps of committing “war crimes.”
Today, the Rapid Support Forces control most of the capital, the largest part of Darfur, and have entered Al-Jazira State in the eastern center of the country.
At the end of March, Washington expressed its hope that the talks would resume “on or around April 18.”
Who supports the proof?
The most important supporter of Al-Burhan is Egypt, which shares a border with Sudan, and delivered drones to the Sudanese army.
Eritrea was among his first stops when he resumed his foreign trips last year.
Al-Burhan relies on material support from Iran, including Iranian-made drones.
Some armed movements in Darfur announced their official involvement in fighting alongside the Sudanese army.
The governor of the Darfur region, head of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Minni Arko Minawi, announced that his forces would fight alongside the Sudanese army.
Who supports Hemedti?
The United Arab Emirates is Hemedti’s most important ally, and according to United Nations experts, the UAE sent weapons to the Rapid Support Forces through eastern Chad.
In a report published in January, United Nations experts said that the Rapid Support Forces strengthened their tribal alliances extending across the western borders of Sudan, and also brought weapons from Libya and the Central African Republic and fuel from South Sudan.
Before the outbreak of war, Hemedti strengthened his relations with Russia.
The Rapid Support Forces seek the help of militants from foreign countries, such as Niger and Chad.
Other forces have an influence.
Saudi Arabia has close relations with Al-Burhan and Hemedti, both of whom have sent troops to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Ethiopia and Kenya, the two major powers in East Africa, have some influence due to their prominent roles in regional diplomacy and previous mediation in Sudan.
Israel, which had hoped to move forward in normalizing relations with Sudan, offered to host talks between the two sides.
Going back to the beginning of this report, if a Sudanese immigrant returned to his country today, he would find destroyed cities, looted markets, raped women and children conscripted into the war, and he would hear a lot of news about a senseless and meaningless war, and all it did was tear apart a country that was not short of more difficulties. Economic, political and social.
Last updated: April 15, 2024 – 17:40
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2024-04-17 02:20:34