Sudan crisis: What's the conflict all about?

Sudan has been witnessing tough times as the fighting between two powerful rival military factions seem to be threatening a nationwide civil conflict.

The conflict has engulfed the capital in the fighting for the first time as it has been happening across Khartoum and at other sites in the country.

Who is fighting?

Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are fighting each other. This comes as tensions rose after they toppled a civilian government together in an October 2021 coup. The fighting started on April 15.

The conflict began when an internationally-backed plan to launch a new transition with civilian parties was floated. In April, a final deal was due to be signed.

Under the plan, both the army and the RSF had to cede power. In it, two issues were contentious. First one was when the army would be formally placed under civilian oversight and the second was the timetable for the RSF to be integrated into the regular armed forces.

The RSF was accused by the army of illegal mobilisation in preceding days, while the RSF said the army looked to seize full control in a plot with long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir loyalists. RSF had also moved on key strategic sites in Khartoum.

The Key Players

The power struggle is going on between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the head of the army and Sudan's ruling council leader since 2019, and his deputy on the council, RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is commonly known as Hemedti.

If the fighting continues, it can destroy hopes of the people and destabilise the volatile region, which borders the Red Sea, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

FAQs

Q1:Who is the head of Rapid Support Forces?
Rapid Support Forces’ leader is General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is also known as Hemedti.

Q2:Who is the Sudan's ruling council leader since 2019?
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is the head of the army, is Sudan's ruling council leader since 2019.