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Sudan plunged into a bloody armed conflict once again on 15 April 2023, repeating its history of violent power struggles. On one side stands Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the de facto ruler of Sudan since the coup in 2021. On the other side is Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, who used to be al-Burhan’s number two and is considered one of the most powerful men in Sudan. Hemedti is the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an organization notorious for committing atrocities against civilians.
The fighting erupted in the capital city of Khartoum and subsequently spread to other cities across Khartoum state, the Darfur region, North Kordofan, Kassala, Gedarif, and the Red Sea states. Since then, fighting has continued in ‘Greater Khartoum’ and in Darfur, whereas other areas have been mostly calm. In the first two weeks of clashes, the fighting killed at least 500 people. Both sides have agreed to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the safe evacuation of civilians; however, the ceasefires have proved short-lived.
The relationship between al-Burhan and Hemedti has a long history. Both al-Burhan, under the command of the Sudanese army, and Hemedti, who was a key leader within the infamous Janjaweed militia (the collective name used for various Arab militia groups in Darfur), played crucial roles in the civil war in Darfur in the early 2000s. In 2013, parts of the Janjaweed militia were transformed into a paramilitary organization and established the name of RSF, with Hemedti assuming its leadership. In December 2018, a large-scale protest against al-Bashir’s government started in Sudan. After months of extensive demonstrations, the military stepped in and removed President Omar al-Bashir from power, bringing an end to his three-decade-long regime. A Transnational Military Council, headed by al-Burhan with Hemedti as his deputy, took power, but protests continued.
Following months of civil unrest and pressure from the African Union, the military council reached a power-sharing agreement with the civilian opposition in August 2019. The agreement stipulated that a Sovereign Council, comprising five militaries and five civilians, should lead Sudan until an election planned for 2022. However, al-Burhan and Hemedti staged a military coup in October 2021, dissolved the government and the Sovereign Council, and declared a state of emergency.
Following the 2021 coup, al-Burhan became the head of state of Sudan, and Hemedti became the deputy chair. Demonstrations against the military regime quickly erupted across Khartoum state. The SAF and RSF responded with a brutal crackdown on protesters, committing atrocities against civilians which further destabilized Sudan. Hemedti started distancing himself from al-Burhan, who increasingly aligned himself with the Islamist al-Bashir loyalists, while Hemedti grew closer to some civilian leaders. In the months following the coup, the military struggled to assert its power in the capital as the civilian uprising continued.
To stop the increasing tensions, international actors intervened to broker an agreement between the military and civilian leaders to transition into democracy. However, cracks between the two leaders widened as the agreement called for the integration of the RSF into the SAF. Al-Burhan and his army requested a two-year deadline for the integration and the assertion of control over RSF, which had increasingly become an independent organization with poor discipline. However, Hemedti rejected al-Burhan’s proposal and demanded a ten-year deadline to preserve his longstanding power and influence outside of the military’s control. Neither of the two leaders accepted a compromise; instead, both sides mobilized their forces in strategic locations, particularly in Khartoum.
The main trigger of the ongoing fighting was the mobilization of RSF troops near Merowe town in Northern state, a strategic location because of a military air base in the area, on 13 April 2023. Al-Burhan accused Hemedti of "unauthorized movements" and gave him an ultimatum to withdraw his troops. Despite efforts by international actors to deescalate the hostilities, full-scale fighting erupted on 15 April in Khartoum city. Hemedti quickly claimed he had taken control of Khartoum airport and the Presidential Palace, however, his claims remained unconfirmed. On 17 April, al-Burhan declared the dissolution of the RSF, labeling the force as a rebel militia. In the first two weeks of the fighting, the violence was primarily concentrated in heavily populated areas where both sides had military bases, headquarters or strategic positions.
At the time of writing, the fighting continues with increasing numbers of fatalities.
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