What Started the Fighting in Sudan?
2023-04-18
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1Over the weekend, fighting broke out between the armies of Sudan's two most powerful generals.
2Tensions had been rising for weeks between the armed forces chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
3Just 18 months earlier they worked together to overthrow the government as Sudan moved toward democracy.
4Both men each have tens of thousands of troops just in the capital of Khartoum.
5They have repeatedly said they will not negotiate nor stop fighting, even with rising international pressure.
6Here is a look at how Sudan, a country with 46 million people and a long history of military overthrows, reached this point.
7In recent months, negotiations had been under way to restart the change to a democratic political system.
8The process had been suspended since October 2021, when the government was overthrown.
9Under rising international pressure, the armed forces and the RSF signed a deal in December with pro-democracy and civilian groups.
10But the agreement left many important political issues unsettled.
11Tensions between Burhan and Dagalo worsened during long negotiations to reach a final agreement.
12A main dispute is over how the RSF would be mixed into the military and who would have control over fighters and weapons.
13Dagalo's RSF took strong action against tribal unrest and pro-democracy activists.
14But he claimed he was a supporter of the democratic transition.
15In March, he criticized Burhan, saying military leaders were unwilling to hand over power.
16Experts argued that Dagalo is trying to cover up the reputation of his paramilitary force.
17It had been accused of war crimes during the Darfur conflict.
18On Wednesday, the RSF began sending forces around the small town of Merowe, north of the capital.
19The town is important, with its large airport, central position and dam on the Nile River.
20The next day, the RSF also sent more forces into the capital and other areas of the country.
21On Saturday morning, fighting began at a military base south of Khartoum.
22Each side blamed the other for having started the violence.
23Since then, the military and the RSF have battled each other with heavy weapons in highly populated areas of the capital and the nearby city of Omdurman.
24By Monday, people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the fighting.
25An immediate ceasefire appears unlikely.
26Burhan and Dagalo have demanded that the other surrender.
27The fierce fighting also might make it harder for the two generals to return to negotiations.
28However, the military and the RSF both have foreign supporters, who all called for an immediate end to the fighting.
29The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to discuss Sudan on Monday.
30During the decades-long rule of dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was removed in 2019, Russia was a strong influence.
31At one point, Moscow reached an initial deal to build a naval base on Sudan's Red Sea cost.
32After al-Bashir's removal, the United States and European nations began competing with Russia for influence in Sudan.
33The country is rich in natural resources, including gold.
34Burhan and Dagalo have also made close ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
35Sudanese troops from the military and the RSF have fought alongside the Saudi-led alliance in Yemen's civil war.
36Egypt also has deep ties with the Sudanese military.
37The two armies conduct regular war exercises, most recently this month.
38The military controls most of the country's economy.
39But the RSF runs major gold mining areas, an important source of money for the group.
40I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Over the weekend, fighting broke out between the armies of Sudan's two most powerful generals. 2Tensions had been rising for weeks between the armed forces chief, General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo. 3Just 18 months earlier they worked together to overthrow the government as Sudan moved toward democracy. 4Both men each have tens of thousands of troops just in the capital of Khartoum. They have repeatedly said they will not negotiate nor stop fighting, even with rising international pressure. 5Here is a look at how Sudan, a country with 46 million people and a long history of military overthrows, reached this point. 6What led to the fighting? 7In recent months, negotiations had been under way to restart the change to a democratic political system. The process had been suspended since October 2021, when the government was overthrown. 8Under rising international pressure, the armed forces and the RSF signed a deal in December with pro-democracy and civilian groups. But the agreement left many important political issues unsettled. 9Tensions between Burhan and Dagalo worsened during long negotiations to reach a final agreement. A main dispute is over how the RSF would be mixed into the military and who would have control over fighters and weapons. 10Dagalo's RSF took strong action against tribal unrest and pro-democracy activists. But he claimed he was a supporter of the democratic transition. In March, he criticized Burhan, saying military leaders were unwilling to hand over power. 11Experts argued that Dagalo is trying to cover up the reputation of his paramilitary force. It had been accused of war crimes during the Darfur conflict. 12How did the situation worsen? 13On Wednesday, the RSF began sending forces around the small town of Merowe, north of the capital. The town is important, with its large airport, central position and dam on the Nile River. The next day, the RSF also sent more forces into the capital and other areas of the country. 14On Saturday morning, fighting began at a military base south of Khartoum. Each side blamed the other for having started the violence. Since then, the military and the RSF have battled each other with heavy weapons in highly populated areas of the capital and the nearby city of Omdurman. 15By Monday, people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the fighting. 16What are the chances of a ceasefire? 17An immediate ceasefire appears unlikely. Burhan and Dagalo have demanded that the other surrender. The fierce fighting also might make it harder for the two generals to return to negotiations. 18However, the military and the RSF both have foreign supporters, who all called for an immediate end to the fighting. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to discuss Sudan on Monday. 19Who are the foreign interests? 20During the decades-long rule of dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was removed in 2019, Russia was a strong influence. At one point, Moscow reached an initial deal to build a naval base on Sudan's Red Sea cost. 21After al-Bashir's removal, the United States and European nations began competing with Russia for influence in Sudan. The country is rich in natural resources, including gold. 22Burhan and Dagalo have also made close ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Sudanese troops from the military and the RSF have fought alongside the Saudi-led alliance in Yemen's civil war. 23Egypt also has deep ties with the Sudanese military. The two armies conduct regular war exercises, most recently this month. 24The military controls most of the country's economy. But the RSF runs major gold mining areas, an important source of money for the group. 25I'm Faith Pirlo. 26Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 27________________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29reputation - n. the way in which people think of someone or something 30influence - n. the power to change or affect someone or something