Clashes have occurred between the Sudanese military and paramilitary forces (RSF). Various media have reported that More than 400 people have been killed and thousands wounded since the fighting began in the last Saturday. The residents are spending their days in fear and unrest. This political instability in Sudan is not today. It has a long bloody history behind it.
On April 11, 2019, Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power for nearly 30 years, was overthrown in a military coup. An interim government comprising military and civilian leaders was formed under the leadership of Abd al-Snah Hamdak. Originally, the country was run by the Military Council formed after the uprising. Later, in the face of international pressure, the Sovereign Council (SC) was formed from the Military Council. Awad Ibn Awf, Bashir’s trusted defense minister, betrayed and encouraged the country’s military to seize power. Many political analysts have opined that this uprising was carried out for the benefit of the West. But, meanwhile, power struggles between military and civilian leaders continued.
Later in October 2021, a military coup took place again. This time, SC chief General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) chief General Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo aka Hemedti made the uprising. Then came the matter of merging one lakh members of RSF with the main army. After the merger, a power struggle ensued over who would lead the entire army. The latest addition to the conflict between the RSF and the army is the clash between the two factions that began on Saturday.
Who is RSF?
RSF was formed in 2013. There is another history behind the formation of RSF. In 2003, a rebellion broke out in Sudan’s Darfur region under the rule of Omar al-Bashir. The region’s minority non-Arab tribes (Fur, Jaghawa and Masalit) started this rebellion demanding autonomy with fuel and arms support from the United States. Bashir took a strict stance in suppressing this rebellion. He used it to suppress the rebellion of Janjaud, an Arab tribe in the region. Later, RSF force was formed with them in 2013. Since then, mainly in Darfur, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been working together to suppress the rebellion. Civil war is still ongoing in the Darfur region.
By fomenting rebellion in the Darfur region, the US has actually pushed Darfur towards secession. What is the real interest of the US in Darfur? Meanwhile, the conflict between the RSF and the army over power reached its peak. Both sides blame each other for the attack. However, it is not yet clear who carried out the attack first. To identify the culprits behind the Darfur civil war, we need to focus on the secession of South Sudan from Sudan.
In 1899, the British established full control over Sudan by defeating the ruler of Sudan, Abdulsnah Ibn Muhammad. Since then, Sudan has been known as a British colony. Sudan continued to be governed by Egyptian governors appointed on the advice of the British government. Later the British ruled Sudan by dividing it into two regions. Muslim governors were appointed for the north and Christian governors for the south. This is how the British ruled Sudan from 1924 to 1956. Sudan gained independence from the British on January 1, 1956.
Another incident happened at this time. With the help of the British, Christians began to arrive in South Sudan from Ethiopia, located in the eastern part of Sudan, to try to change the demography. This made the minority Christians the majority in South Sudan. Meanwhile in 1955 civil war started in the country. The Christian-dominated south feared that the Muslim population of the north would lead the entire independent Sudan. Because the whole of Arabia including Egypt has a good relationship with the Muslims of the northern region. In this situation, the British took measures to give autonomy to the southern region. But the Muslims could not accept it. Basically, this started the civil war in Sudan. This civil war continued till 1989. On June 30 of that year, Colonel Omar al-Bashir seized power in Sudan through a bloodless uprising. As soon as he came to power, he banned all forms of politics in the country. Introduced Islamic law, prohibited usury. Within five years he established control over the entire Sudan.
In 1996, Omar al-Bashir organized the presidential election. He was the only candidate in the election held on October 16. As a result, he was elected president of Sudan unopposed. After the presidential election, the United States declared Sudan a terrorist state. After that, Omar Al Bashir became a hostage to the West in international politics due to various events.
In 2003, various non-Arab Muslim ethnic groups in Darfur engaged in an armed struggle against Bashir, aided by US fuel and arms. Capitalizing on this danger in Darfur, the US forced Bashir to make a deal with South Sudanese leaders. On January 9, 2005, Bashir signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) with South Sudan. The southern region will enjoy autonomy from the treaty and a referendum on independence will be held after 6 years. Meanwhile, after the treaty, a southern leader died in a plane crash and civil war broke out again. In this incident, the United Nations peacekeeping force was deployed in Sudan on March 24. In 2009, the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Bashir with genocide in Darfur and issued an arrest warrant.
In 2011, a referendum on independence was held in South Sudan under the auspices of the United Nations. 98 percent voted in favor of independence. Finally, on July 9, South Sudan emerged as an independent Christian state.
After the secession of South Sudan, Sudan’s financial situation began to deteriorate. Protests were held in the country against Omar al-Bashir. In 2018, the people of that country staged the largest protest in thirty years against the increase in commodity prices.
Bashir issued a state of emergency to control the situation. But the last defense is no more. On April 11, 2019, a military coup toppled Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled for thirty years. We know the next course of events. The RSF and the government army are working together to suppress the insurgency
