Sudan’s dueling generals, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, are tentatively agreeing to face-to-face talks in South Sudan. The Thursday night extension of an uneasy ceasefire followed intensive diplomatic efforts by neighboring countries, as well as the US, UK, and UN. Hemedti, who leads the paramilitary force fighting the country’s army, says he will not negotiate until the fighting ends but is open to talks if the ceasefire holds.
His 100,000-strong force controls areas of the capital and has a strong presence in Darfur. Hemedti regards Gen Burhan as a traitor for bringing into government those loyal to former President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted by the army and RSF together in 2019 after mass street protests. Bashir’s regime was known for its Islamist ideology and imposition of a strict version of Sharia (Islamic law).
The two generals fell out this year over the proposed return to civilian rule, particularly about the timeframe of incorporating Hemedti’s Rapid Support Force (RSF) into the army. The RSF troops are forcing people from their homes, and looting and extortion are taking place.
The UN says his rivals are dressing up in RSF uniforms to discredit his fighters. The fighting has killed at least 512 people and wounded 4,193, with hundreds of thousands of Sudanese fleeing their homes, often paying huge sums to leave and facing abuses en route.
The violence is particularly bad in El Geneina, a city in Darfur in western Sudan, where the RSF and militias linked to the group are reported to have looted and torched markets, aid warehouses, and banks.
Millions remain trapped in the capital Khartoum, where there are shortages of food, water, and fuel. In some parts of the city, trenches have been dug as rival troops battle each other street by street. Those remaining in Khartoum describe living in a “constant state of fear.”
Source: BBC
