Sudan Army Chief Warns UN of Regional Conflict Spillover

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Facts

  • In an address to the UN, Sudan's Army Chief and president of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, warned that the civil war in his country could spill over into neighboring countries. He called on the international community to apply pressure on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) which he characterized as 'terrorists.'1
  • Al-Burhan said the danger of war threatened 'regional and international peace and security,' as rebels had sought support from 'outlaws and terrorist groups' in other countries. 'This is like the spark of war, a war that will spill over to other countries in the region,' he added.2
  • General al-Burhan, who has been Sudan's de facto ruler since a coup in 2021, also alluded to the idea that the rival RSF has ties with the Russian mercenary group Wagner, which is subject to Western sanctions over alleged abuses in Africa.3
  • Fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 following the collapse of a plan to integrate the army and the RSF, led by al-Burhan's former deputy, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. According to the nongovernmental organization Acled, the conflict has killed at least 7.5K people and displaced approximately 5M people.4
  • The US earlier this month imposed sanctions on the leaders of the RSF, including Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo, brother of the group's leader and senior commander, over alleged abuses. In a video released on Thursday, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo said his forces were fully prepared for a cease-fire and comprehensive political talks to end the conflict.5

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Al arabiya english, 3Trt afrika, 4The new arab and 5Arab news.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Guardian. The United Nations was created for moments exactly like this. The Sudanese army, after extinguishing all other possibilities to stop this war, is now in desperate need of help to end the fighting by prosecuting to the fullest extent all factions engaged in terroristic behavior. The RSF's crimes and atrocities necessitate accountability.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Grayzone. Sudan's problems, from extreme poverty and malnutrition to today's armed conflicts, stem not from warring factions who pop up out of nowhere but rather from Western meddling dating back a hundred years or more. Western governments so 'kindly' offering humanitarian aid today are the same ones who toyed with Sudan for decades solely to steal its resources and combat China's rise in the region.

Predictions