With overthrow and the imprisonment of former dictator Omar Hassan al-Bashir, followed by the signing of a treaty military pass Backed by a civilian government, Sudan saw the light. The state was gradually gaining international recognition and had the support of organizations such as the United States. International Monetary Fund or world Bankbut as internal struggles for power progressed, he entered a powerful political crisis that now threatens. completely destabilize the country and region. recent conflicts betweenl National Army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Since this Saturday, reports claiming that nearly a hundred civilians have died in the eyes of citizens and neighboring countries are pending.
The situation in the country is extremely volatile due, among other things, to the combustible relationship between State numbers one and two, which also leads both military factions. Weeks of tensions between the Army and the RSF as they develop in parallel Negotiations with civil organizations and international calls for a new unity government resulted in gunfights and shelling in the capital, Khartoum.
With the overthrow of al-Bashir in 2019 Juba agreement 2020 determined that the maximum state power should be in the hands of the head of the Army and the head of the Sovereign Transitional Council, Abdelfata al Burhanand ‘number two’ in Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the RSF paramilitaries, nickname ‘Hemet’. Now, two years later, “the disagreements between the two leaders over how to leave power and the unlikely integration of the RSF into the Army have caused tremendous chaos in the transition process,” explains a professor of Political Science at the University of Barcelona. , rafael martinez.
Martínez was an active part of the negotiation process for framework agreements that took place just two weeks ago in the Sudanese capital, where he was sent as an expert by the United Nations transition aid mission (UNITAMS). The situation is so tense and unstable that the United States and the European Union, as well as the UN and other Western countries, have repeatedly called on the Sudanese military to create a process that will ensure the formation of a new coalition. civil government democratically elected.
Garrison
The reason for the existence of the current conflicts is as follows: Internal struggle for army reform It was somehow foreseen in the preliminary agreements signed in 2019 after Bashir’s overthrow. Key differences between the two leaders who postponed the new deal constitution and the formation of the Executive, integration About reforms in the security apparatus, as well as the powerful RSF in the Armed Forces. Both figures, who were previously allied with al-Bashir and took power after the escalation in 2019, have shown a willingness to guarantee the largest possible share of power in the face of terrorism. future transition.
“There is a conflict between the army and the RSF. tremendous tension and a strong lack of confidence. Al Burhan is the leader of the military force and ‘Hemedti’ is de facto his second, but while agreeing on what would happen in case of hypothetical lack of the first, all apparent intent of understanding is gone. ‘Hemedti’ has always been considered the incompatible element as he has argued that he should take the first place of command, but the Army army is not eager for a leader. charismatic but without military training I told them how to advance”, explains Martínez.
The figure of ‘Hemedti’ is completely opposite to that of El Burhan in terms of background. While the army leader is a Blessed General who graduated from Khartoum Military Academy and within the country forces, given his background as an organization member. border protection and Chief of Staff of the Army before being appointed inspector army general (third place in ranking) in February 2018. ‘Hemedti’ refers to his military experience as ‘blueberries(a mix of tribal Arab militias mainly from Darfur and Chad across the border), their brutality and crimes against the civilian population.
Tense Relationship
His charisma and personality make him a central figure In the creation of the RSF, which in 2013 quickly fell under his responsibility. From this position as the head of the RSF, ‘Hemedti’ was able to take control of the important gold mines in the region, which consolidated his power. within the al-Bashir regime, Abandoned in the 2019 coup, when he joined forces with those in Al Burhan’s Army.
After that first moment of agreement, the relationship between the two leaders was strained to say the least. After assuming the presidency and leaving the civilian government to Abdalla Hamdok Al-Kinani, the relationship between the two leaders can be summarized in a number of ways: cross accusations wanting to usurp power and commit crimes against civilians. Likewise, ‘Hemedti’ accused al-Burhan of not wanting to hand over power to civilian forces to assume the power designated for them in the transition.
“The refusal to transfer power to civilians in a coup led by al-Burhan in 2021 resulted in the abandonment of the civilian government led by Hamdok, which led to a series of convictions and repressions from international community law led by the President. To force the extradition of Hamdok,” Martínez explains. “According to the Juba agreement, then the military had to give way to the political class to run the state and maintain the transition, but that never happened because neither of them want to lose control over the country’s economic resources,” Martinez said. . Hamdock remained in office for only a few months and resigned, once again fueling the differences between two Sudanese dictators trying to dominate the country’s political scene.