Dhe military leaders’ war in Sudan continued unabated on Monday. It even intensified after a three-hour humanitarian ceasefire was quickly broken on Sunday. As at the weekend, the fighting was concentrated in the capital Khartoum. Intense shelling was heard and smoke was seen near the military headquarters. Again and again, civilians in the densely populated city came under fire, and facilities such as hospitals also suffered damage from the fighting. The “Central Committee of Doctors of Sudan” announced in the morning that the number of civilians killed since the fighting broke out on Saturday was almost a hundred. Hundreds of people were wounded.
The warring factions of the military are led by army chief and de facto head of state Abd al-Fattah al-Burhan and by Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Some reports Monday suggested that the regular army was gaining the upper hand over the paramilitary RSF. RSF positions were therefore attacked with numerous air raids. The army itself said it had regained control of state television headquarters. According to media reports, the station Sudan-TV resumed broadcasting and showed, among other things, residents celebrating with army soldiers in the streets.
The control of television is not to be underestimated. A war of words and images is also being waged in Sudan. Both sides spread their propaganda unchecked – and also direct it to other countries. An example of this was given by RSF commander Hamdan on Monday. He wrote several posts in English on Twitter calling on the international community to “intervene” against the “crimes” of al-Burhan. This is “a radical Islamist who bombs civilians from the air”. The current struggles are “the price of democracy,” Hamdan continued. “We fight for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress they have longed for.”
Preventing other powers from becoming too strong
Hamdan has been trying to present himself as a supporter of the democratic process for the past year. However, most observers consider this a tactical move. In addition, his attempt to portray al-Burhan as an Islamist is particularly noteworthy. This could be an attempt to discredit the army chief in the eyes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The leaders in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are among the key foreign actors involved in Sudan’s politics. In addition, the influence of Russia in particular has grown in recent years.
The UAE are seen as supporters of Hamdan and his RSF, although they also maintain contacts with al-Burhan. The Emirates have been trying for years to push back the Muslim Brotherhood in the region. The Islamists also had considerable influence in the regime of the Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir. Hamdan and his troops were said to be the driving force behind the ousting of al-Bashir in April 2019. Unlike the RSF, which emerged from Arab militias in Darfur, the ranks of the army are said to be riddled with Islamists to this day.
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