Sudan: 'Dire Situations' Reported on Third Day of Fighting in Khartoum

Facts

• According to a doctors' union, almost 100 civilians have been left dead, as fighting between the army and paramilitary forces entered its third day in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on Monday. Local hospital workers have spoken of 'dire situations' amid shelling of electricity and water supplies, while regional African leaders have sought to guide the nation back towards a peaceful transition to civilian government.¹
• Rival forces have clashed over key sites in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in country, such as the presidential palace and the city's airport as well as military bases, prompting Chad to close borders with Sudan and airlines to suspend flights.²
• This comes after days of escalated tensions between the military and the powerful Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over how the paramilitary group should be merged into the armed forces, a key condition of the as yet unsigned deal that could see the nation transition to democracy.³
• CNN reported, citing civilian and military sources, that the main issues include the timeline for the integration of the RSF into the Sudanese military, the hierarchical status of its officials, and its future commander.⁴
• On Monday, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan called for the RSF to be dissolved — his comments came as a power struggle with RSF head General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo continues.⁵
• The violence is the latest setback in a long-delayed transition to a civilian government, after former national leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019 amid streets protests and a further power change took place in 2021.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News (a), ²BBC News (b), ³Al Jazeera, ⁴CNN, ⁵New York Times and ⁶FT.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Dabanga Radio TV Online. The RSF have wreaked havoc in Sudan because its forces were unjustifiably deployed to Khartoum and other parts of the country, which has been going through a decisive moment to establish a civilian-led transitional government. While it is true that the paramilitary group has become a state within a state, this crisis has ultimately been fueled by elements of the former al-Bashir regime who are willing to drag Sudan into civil war in the hope of returning to power.
• Narrative B, as provided by Radio Tamazuj. Saturday's fighting broke out after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) attacked off guard RSF troops stationed in Khartoum who were respecting the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This unacceptable sweeping attack with heavy and light weapons must be condemned, particularly as the country is going through a critical moment in its history and governance. The SAF should take responsibility for their role in this conflict.

Predictions