Sudan is witnessing street fight and violence between its army and a prominent paramilitary force, compelling people to remain indoors with little supply of essential items including gas and food. Sudan woke up to heavy clashes between the army and a powerful paramilitary force known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15. Friction between the army and the RSF was exacerbated by Sudan’s political process.
Civilians in the capital of Khartoum reported seeing armoured vehicles from both forces roaming the streets, while hearing heavy gunfire in multiple urban quarters. The RSF said it has taken control of the presidential palace and Khartoum International Airport
Sudan is presently ruled by army and a process was underway to establish a civilian government. Not long ago, the RSF and the military cooperated to derail Sudan’s transition to democracy by spearheading a coup on October 25, 2021. The move triggered a year of anti-coup protests and international pressure, prompting both forces to sign the Framework Agreement on December 5.
That settlement ushered in a new political process that promised to address key issues before a final deal that would restore a civilian administration tasked with steering the country to elections in two years. But now it seems that the army and RSF have lost the purpose and again indulged into rivalry for power rather than facilitating together an election to establish a civil government. Security sector reform was the most vital and challenging issue to sort out in order to rein in the security forces. But the process failed to reach fruition and was jeopardized due to unnecessary haste made by arbiters. As a result, the political process accelerated a confrontation between the RSF and army.
The Framework Agreement brought to the fore key existential issues for both forces and their leaderships, such as (RSF) integration into a single army, military divestment from lucrative sectors of the economy and the prospect of (soldiers facing justice for past abuses.
Background
The RSF evolved from Arab armed groups that have been accused of carrying out massacres in Darfur in the early 2000s, according to global rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.
It was created in 2013 by former President Omar al-Bashir, who placed the group directly under his command and tasked it with protecting his rule from top army generals and his feared intelligence service.
The plan did not work. In April 2019, both the army and RSF turned against al-Bashir following months of pro-democracy protests. The RSF continued to operate independently from the army, while the two forces competed for state assets, foreign patrons, legitimacy and recruits.Even after the two forces overthrew Sudan’s civilian administration in October 2021, there is continuance of mistrust and violence. In fact both the army and RSF had a marriage of convenience, but they continued to ignore the issue of RSF integration into the army, a major issue impeding progress in Susan’s transition to a civilian government.
Violence appeared imminent when the RSF deployed to the northern city of Merowe two days ago, prompting a warning from the army that the RSF must retreat or else security could collapse in Sudan.