By Maziaar Motamedi
Intense fighting is raging in Sudan between the army and a paramilitary force for a fifth day despite calls by international stakeholders – Arab, African and international – to stop the violence and engage in dialogue. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) initially said on Tuesday that they had agreed to a day-long armistice, but it quickly broke down. A United Nations-brokered ceasefire on Sunday to allow aid and rescue was also broken.
The generals leading the two forces, Hemedti and the SAF’s Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, de facto president since the removal of his former ally, strongman President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, have increasingly taken their fight to residential areas in Khartoum and elsewhere, leading to at least 270 deaths.
Observers are growing increasingly concerned about the possible ramifications of this conflict dragging on.
“The situation in Sudan is a major regional security challenge for the Horn of Africa,” Ovigwe Eguegu, policy analyst at Development Reimagined, told Al Jazeera.
“Considering the risks of all-out civil war and associated problems such as refugees, there are also serious concerns that this may become a flashpoint for great-power politics because of the dependence of the Sudan Army and the RSF on foreign powers for finance and weapons.”
Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/19/can-the-international-community-stop-the-fighting-in-sudan
