Smoke rises during clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Sudan on April 19, 2023.
Ahmed Satti | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Escalating conflict in Sudan is likely to spill over into the wider region and rest of the world, analysts have suggested, as governments and international bodies hope a fresh cease-fire will enable Sudanese citizens and foreign nationals to flee the country.
Fighting erupted 10 days ago as the result of a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by President Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti).
The two warring factions had been sharing power in Khartoum since a military coup in 2021, which dissolved a civilian-led transitional government put in place following the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019. Burhan and Hemedti’s divergent economic and political visions were never reconciled, and the tension between their respective forces began escalating early this month.
A U.S.-brokered 72-hour cease-fire took effect on Monday night, which international bodies and governments hope will allow civilians to leave the country, with the International Rescue Committee estimating that up to 15,000 refugees have already crossed west into neighboring Chad.
However, the RSF alleged Tuesday morning that the SAF had already violated the cease-fire.
“We reiterate our complete commitment to the 72-hour truce that aims to open up humanitarian corridors. However, the Sudanese army has violated the ceasefire by continuing to attack Khartoum by planes, which is a clear breach of the ceasefire agreement,” the RSF said in a statement.
“We urge the Sudanese army to respect the ceasefire and its conditions to alleviate the suffering of innocent civilians. We also call on the international community to intervene and put pressure on the Sudanese army to abide by the terms of the ceasefire.”