Sudan unrest: Why Sudanese army are in conflict with RSF

GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Hemeti is the face of the Transitional Military Council

KHARTOUM, Sudan - On Saturday, tensions between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary better known as Rapid Support Force [RSF] escalated in the capital Khartoum, with both parties primarily blaming each other for provocation, leading to ugly gunfight exchanges in the busy northern African city.

Soldiers from either side opened fire against each other with smoke bellowing in several parts of the city as the team tried to take control of strategic locals. The mayhem-targeted the presidential palace and the main airport with the Ministry of Defense also being on the list of areas of interest.

According to RSF, the military targeted her bases in the capital leading to ugly confrontations. The paramilitary wing claimed soldiers were the first to hit, adding that they will not take responsibility for the ugly scenes that led to the destruction of property.

“The Rapid Support Forces were surprised Saturday with a large force from the army entering camps in Soba in Khartoum and laying siege to paramilitaries there,” the RSF said in a statement. The army “launched a sweeping attack with all kinds of heavy and light weapons”, it said.

But in a rebuttal, the Sudanese army claimed paramilitary forces had attacked her bases within the capital, a claim which could not be substantiated. The army also denied that RSF had taken control of the presidential palace and the airport.

“Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces attacked several army camps in Khartoum and elsewhere around Sudan,” said Brigadier-General Nabil Abdallah. “Clashes are ongoing and the army is carrying out its duty to safeguard the country.”

However, sources say tensions started building up on Thursday when the army accused the paramilitary wing of "occupying" strategic areas within the city, a violation of an existing agreement. The army which is loyal to military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, sources added, responded by thwarting the efforts of RSF under General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The conflict between the two started in 2019 during the reign of Omar al-Bashir with RSF growing out of the government-backed Janjaweed militia. The powerful paramilitary wing was responsible for genocide in Darfur, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants for al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court [ICC].

Current tensions stem from a disagreement over how the RSF should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition agreement, and the latest clashes could further derail a lot of political parties and reinstatement of civilian rule in the country.

Mohammed Alamin Ahmed, a Sudanese analyst, told Al-Jazeera that “It’s a power struggle that began a long time ago and it has escalated to direct clashes today. There is an exchange of accusations on who started this, and the fighting has extended, not just in Khartoum, but also in the strategic city of Merowe where the Sudanese armed forces have a strong air force there.

“And it looks like the RSF is trying to neutralize the capacity of Sudanese army [and] air force there to pull them towards a ground battle.”

Similarly, Kholood Khair, director of Khartoum-based think tank Confluence Advisory, says the two rivals have been wrangling over the consolidation of power, with integration and roles being a major obstacle. RSF enjoyed massive support during al-Bashir tenure and the return of military rule jeopardized their influence in government.

“There are signs that they are working together to escalate the tensions and very publicly show this escalation to get concessions from pro-democracy forces, only then to de-escalate those tensions. This has been a cycle of rinse and repeat over the past few years,” Khair told Al Jazeera.

Al-Bashir was kicked out by the military in 2019 following a civilian uprising but the transition Council has struggled to accommodate civilians besides failing to strike a deal with the paramilitary. The skirmishes could prolong given the fragility of the country which has struggled to stabilize for years.

GAROWE ONLINE