Sudan’s military has warned of potential clashes with the country’s powerful paramilitary force, Rapid Support Forces, which it said had deployed troops in the capital and other cities.
Tensions between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have escalated in recent months, forcing a delay in the signing of an internationally backed deal with political parties to revive the country’s democratic transition.
In a statement, the military noted that the buildup of the RSF in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country was done without “the approval of, or coordination with” the armed forces’ leadership and presents a clear “violation of the law.”
The warning came as the RSF deployed troops in the Northern Province on the border with Egypt. Local media reported that the paramilitary force has attempted to build a military base there. Earlier reports this week disclosed that the force was transporting armed vehicles from Darfur to the capital, Khartoum.
The present tensions are rooted in the integration of the RSF into the military, a key term of the deal first agreed upon last December.
The paramilitary force, led by powerful Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, grew out of former militias that executed a brutal crackdown in Sudan’s Darfur region over the past two decades.
Despite the fact that the military and the RSF led a coup together in October 2021, friction between the forces’ two leaders has become visible in recent months. Conflicting public statements, heavy military presence in the capital, and parallel foreign trips reflected the tension.
This week, the leaders failed to meet a deadline to form a civilian-led government. The breakdown of the talks has been blamed on differences between rival military factions.
On Wednesday, April 12, 2023 evening, the RSF declared that its presence in the Northern Province, like other areas of Sudan, aims at “achieving security and stability and fighting human trafficking and illegal migration.” The wealthy paramilitary force is estimated to have tens of thousands of fighters.
The escalation has raised concerns of a new civil war in a country known for internal armed conflicts. Many took to social media to express their concerns.
National Umma Party Urges Other Political Forces Not To Escalate Tensions
Sudan’s National Umma Party; one of the country’s largest political groups, has called for restraint and urged other political forces not to escalate the situation.
“All political forces must refrain from issuing any statements or support for one of the parties,” the group disclosed. The party has arranged an emergency meeting on Thursday, April 13, 2023 morning and invited leaders from both forces to attend.
Sudan has plunged into chaos since a 2021 military coup removed a western-backed, power-sharing administration and dashed Sudanese aspirations for democratic rule after three decades of autocracy and repression under Islamist President Omar al-Bashir.
A months-long popular uprising forced the military’s overthrow of al-Bashir and his Islamist government in April 2019. Since then, the former President, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over the Darfur conflict, has been imprisoned in Khartoum.
For Sudan’s transition to democracy succeed, analysts suggest that its leaders must put limits on the power of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The SAF and the paramilitary RSF must be governed by the rule of law and work to protect democracy and human rights in Sudan.
In the absence of meaningful reform to restrain the existing power of the security services, institutional tension between the services could spark a wider conflict that would destabilize the country and threaten the transition to democracy.
Meaningful security sector reform must address the role of the SAF and the professionalization and integration of the RSF into the SAF.
