Sudan: the generals waging war from Khartoum to Darfur

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SUDAN

Sudan: the generals waging war from Khartoum to Darfur

Fighting has been ongoing since 15 April 2023 between the two strong men of Khartoum, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemeti, the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The open conflict is having a knock-on effect across the sub-region. The international community has rallied, and numerous attempts at mediation are underway including from the UN, the African Union, the Arab League and the IGAD.

Generals Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. © Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu Agency via AFP

SUDAN Defence 26/05/2023

Nyala tribal leaders refuse to take sides in Sudanese conflict

A substantial number of community leaders in South Darfur have signed a declaration of neutrality in the hope of avoiding a full-blown civil war. But elsewhere in Sudan, local leaders have opted to side with either the regular army or the RSF.

SpotlightSUDAN Diplomacy 24/05/2023

A Cham Wings aircraft at Rostov airport, Russia, on 17 January 2018.

Sudan exodus offers Assad a diplomatic lifeline

Early this month Syria established an air bridge with Sudan to evacuate several thousand of its nationals from the conflict there. Syrian company Cham Wings Airlines and several figures from the Syrian business world are involved in the operation.

SUDAN Defence Energy 18/05/2023

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have kept hold of the Al Jaili refinery located 60 km north of Khartoum.

Hemeti and Burhan divvy up refineries and prepare for war of attrition

The Rapid Support Forces retain control of one of Sudan's two refineries. The need to keep South Sudanese oil flowing to these facilities has so far spared the long pipeline to Khartoum and Port Sudan from attack.

SUDAN Defence Diplomacy 08/05/2023

Satellite image of Khartoum International Airport, 17 April 2023.

African Union set to decide on who should secure Khartoum airport Free

It is currently impossible to fly into the Sudanese capital because of the fighting. The AU is in the process of deciding how best to secure the site so that humanitarian workers and African and Western mediators can begin their work on the ground.

CHAD LIBYA SUDAN Defence 03/05/2023

Washington and Doha increasingly concerned about threat posed by armed groups in Libya

Numerous militia fighters from Darfur and Chad are present in Libya. For the time being, they have refrained from intervening in neighbouring Sudan but, if the hostilities there persist, one of the warring parties could be tempted to call them in.

SUDAN Defence 02/05/2023

Commander of the Rapid Support Forces Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, in South Darfur State, in September 2017.

Who are Hemeti's generals in Darfur?

While there are some signs that the Sudanese army is getting the upper hand against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, the conflict in Darfur is intensifying. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF leader, has placed trusted men in charge of its units in the vast region.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC SUDAN Defence 28/04/2023

Wagner suspected of backing Hemeti from CAR

The US and French intelligence services believe the Russian paramilitary group has sent light weapons and anti-aircraft guns from the Central African Republic to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.

SpotlightSUDAN Diplomacy 28/04/2023

Security Council paralysed by internal tensions

Since hostilities broke out on 15 April, the three African members of the UN Security Council have been promoting the principle of 'subsidiarity' to push for IGAD to take the lead on the mediation of the Sudanese crisis.

SUDAN Diplomacy 26/04/2023

UN Security Council statement on Sudan postponed by African members

A joint communiqué by the 15 permanent members of the UN Security Council on the situation in Sudan was due to be issued on 21 April, but was in the end postponed due to opposition from Ghana, Gabon and Mozambique.

SpotlightSUDAN Diplomacy 21/04/2023

Aerial view of Khartoum airport targeted by gunfire on 20 April 2023.

International community struggles to evacuate foreign nationals

As the fighting in Khartoum intensifies, the United States, the United Nations and EU countries are looking at various scenarios for the evacuation of their nationals and staff.

SUDAN Diplomacy 21/04/2023

EU adds Sudan to agenda amid violent clashes

Les ministres des affaires étrangères de l'Union européenne (UE), qui doivent se réunir le 24 avril au Luxembourg, ont ajouté à la dernière minute le Soudan à leur agenda à la suite des violents combats qui ont éclaté dans le pays

SUDAN Politics 21/04/2023

Hemeti's brothers wage his social media war

As his RSF fighters do battle with the Sudanese army, the militia leader is also waging a propaganda war on social media with the help of an experienced team based in Khartoum and Dubai.

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Sudan: the generals waging war from Khartoum to Darfur

Nyala tribal leaders refuse to take sides in Sudanese conflict

Sudan exodus offers Assad a diplomatic lifeline

Hemeti and Burhan divvy up refineries and prepare for war of attrition

African Union set to decide on who should secure Khartoum airport Free

Washington and Doha increasingly concerned about threat posed by armed groups in Libya

Who are Hemeti's generals in Darfur?

Wagner suspected of backing Hemeti from CAR

Security Council paralysed by internal tensions

UN Security Council statement on Sudan postponed by African members

International community struggles to evacuate foreign nationals

EU adds Sudan to agenda amid violent clashes

Hemeti's brothers wage his social media war

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