Why Sudan's Conflict Matters to the World
2023-04-25
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1Foreign governments have evacuated hundreds of diplomats and other citizens from Sudan since Sunday.
2For Sudanese, the evacuation is a sign that international powers expect conditions to worsen in the North African nation.
3The fighting between forces loyal to two top Sudanese generals has killed over 420 and injured more than 3,700.
4The country is at risk of collapse and the fighting could affect others far beyond its borders.
5The leaders of the two fighting forces are General Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the armed forces, and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
6The two generals came to power after pro-democracy protests led to the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir.
7In 2021, the two joined forces to seize power from a civilian government.
8In recent months, negotiations were underway for a return to a democratic political system.
9Tensions between Burhan and Dagalo worsened during negotiations to reach a final agreement.
10The main dispute is over how the RSF would be mixed into the military and who would have control over fighters and weapons.
11Alex De Waal is a Sudan expert at Tufts University.
12He wrote in a note to colleagues this week that the conflict should be seen as "the first round of a civil war."
13Sudan is Africa's third-largest country by area.
14The country uneasily shares the waters of the Nile River with Egypt and Ethiopia.
15Egypt relies on the Nile to support its population of over 100 million.
16Ethiopia is working on a huge dam to contain water upstream.
17Egypt has close ties to Sudan's military, which it sees as an ally against Ethiopia.
18Egypt has contacted both sides in Sudan to press for a cease-fire. But Egypt is unlikely to stand by if the military faces defeat.
19Sudan borders five other countries: Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, and South Sudan.
20Nearly all of them face internal conflict, with different rebel groups operating along the borders.
21"What happens in Sudan will not stay in Sudan," said Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group.
22"Chad and South Sudan look most immediately at risk of potential spillover.
23But the longer (the fighting) drags on the more likely it is we see major external intervention."
24Arab Gulf countries have looked to Africa in recent years as they have sought to project power across the area.
25The United Arab Emirates has close ties to the Rapid Support Forces.
26The group sent thousands of fighters to aid the UAE and Saudi Arabia in their war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
27Russia has long had plans to build a naval base at Port Sudan that could support up to 300 troops and four ships.
28The Red Sea port is on the busy trading route for energy shipments to Europe.
29The Wagner Group is a Russian mercenary organization with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin's government.
30The group has been operating in Sudan since 2017.
31The United States and the European Union have established economic measures against two Wagner-linked companies.
32The gold mining companies were accused of smuggling.
33Sudan became an outsider nation when it sheltered Osama bin Laden and other militants in the 1990s.
34Omar al-Bashir, the country's ruler at the time, had led a hard-line Islamist government.
35Sudan's isolation deepened over the conflict in western Darfur in the 2000s.
36At the time, the Sudanese forces and tribal fighters were accused of carrying out war crimes while suppressing a local rebellion.
37The International Criminal Court later charged al-Bashir with genocide.
38The U.S. removed Sudan from its list of state supporters of terrorism after the government in Khartoum agreed to establish ties with Israel in 2020.
39But billions of dollars in loans and aid were suspended after the 2021 military takeover.
40The lack of foreign support, inflation and the war in Ukraine have all hurt Sudan's economy.
41Armed groups in Sudan have long enriched themselves through the control of minerals and other natural resources.
42Dagalo has large farm animal holdings and gold mining operations.
43He is also believed to have been paid by Gulf countries for the RSF's services in fighting rebels in Yemen.
44The Sudanese military under Burhan controls much of the country's economy.
45It also depends on businessmen who grew rich during al-Bashir's long rule.
46De Waal of Tufts University said control over money is as important as over the battlefield.
47"(The military) will want to take control of gold mines and smuggling routes. The RSF will want to interrupt major transport arteries including the road from Port Sudan to Khartoum," he said.
48I'm Mario Ritter Jr. And I'm Jill Robbins.
1Foreign governments have evacuated hundreds of diplomats and other citizens from Sudan since Sunday. 2For Sudanese, the evacuation is a sign that international powers expect conditions to worsen in the North African nation. 3The fighting between forces loyal to two top Sudanese generals has killed over 420 and injured more than 3,700. The country is at risk of collapse and the fighting could affect others far beyond its borders. 4Who is fighting? 5The leaders of the two fighting forces are General Abdel Fattah Burhan, head of the armed forces, and General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). 6The two generals came to power after pro-democracy protests led to the 2019 ouster of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir. In 2021, the two joined forces to seize power from a civilian government. 7In recent months, negotiations were underway for a return to a democratic political system. Tensions between Burhan and Dagalo worsened during negotiations to reach a final agreement. The main dispute is over how the RSF would be mixed into the military and who would have control over fighters and weapons. 8Alex De Waal is a Sudan expert at Tufts University. He wrote in a note to colleagues this week that the conflict should be seen as "the first round of a civil war." 9How does the fighting affect Sudan's neighbors? 10Sudan is Africa's third-largest country by area. 11The country uneasily shares the waters of the Nile River with Egypt and Ethiopia. Egypt relies on the Nile to support its population of over 100 million. Ethiopia is working on a huge dam to contain water upstream. 12Egypt has close ties to Sudan's military, which it sees as an ally against Ethiopia. Egypt has contacted both sides in Sudan to press for a cease-fire. But Egypt is unlikely to stand by if the military faces defeat. 13Sudan borders five other countries: Libya, Chad, the Central African Republic, Eritrea, and South Sudan. Nearly all of them face internal conflict, with different rebel groups operating along the borders. 14"What happens in Sudan will not stay in Sudan," said Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group. "Chad and South Sudan look most immediately at risk of potential spillover. But the longer (the fighting) drags on the more likely it is we see major external intervention." 15Which foreign powers are involved in Sudan? 16Arab Gulf countries have looked to Africa in recent years as they have sought to project power across the area. 17The United Arab Emirates has close ties to the Rapid Support Forces. The group sent thousands of fighters to aid the UAE and Saudi Arabia in their war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. 18Russia has long had plans to build a naval base at Port Sudan that could support up to 300 troops and four ships. The Red Sea port is on the busy trading route for energy shipments to Europe. 19The Wagner Group is a Russian mercenary organization with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin's government. The group has been operating in Sudan since 2017. The United States and the European Union have established economic measures against two Wagner-linked companies. The gold mining companies were accused of smuggling. 20Sudan became an outsider nation when it sheltered Osama bin Laden and other militants in the 1990s. Omar al-Bashir, the country's ruler at the time, had led a hard-line Islamist government. 21Sudan's isolation deepened over the conflict in western Darfur in the 2000s. At the time, the Sudanese forces and tribal fighters were accused of carrying out war crimes while suppressing a local rebellion. The International Criminal Court later charged al-Bashir with genocide. 22Controls over economy 23The U.S. removed Sudan from its list of state supporters of terrorism after the government in Khartoum agreed to establish ties with Israel in 2020. 24But billions of dollars in loans and aid were suspended after the 2021 military takeover. The lack of foreign support, inflation and the war in Ukraine have all hurt Sudan's economy. 25Armed groups in Sudan have long enriched themselves through the control of minerals and other natural resources. 26Dagalo has large farm animal holdings and gold mining operations. He is also believed to have been paid by Gulf countries for the RSF's services in fighting rebels in Yemen. 27The Sudanese military under Burhan controls much of the country's economy. It also depends on businessmen who grew rich during al-Bashir's long rule. 28De Waal of Tufts University said control over money is as important as over the battlefield. "(The military) will want to take control of gold mines and smuggling routes. The RSF will want to interrupt major transport arteries including the road from Port Sudan to Khartoum," he said. 29I'm Mario Ritter Jr. And I'm Jill Robbins. 30Hai Do adapted this report for VOA Learning English from Associated Press sources. 31________________________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33evacuated -n. to remove people, usually quickly, from a dangerous place; to leave a place 34external -adj. outside; used on the exterior of something 35project -v. to expand influence onto a place 36route -n. a road or way taken for trade or travel 37mercenary -adj. relating to fighters who are paid for their services but are not part of a country's military and might not be citizens of the country employing them 38smuggling -n. the act of trafficking in goods illegally from one area to another 39isolation -n. the condition of being alone 40________________________________________________________________ 41We want to hear from you. 42Here is how our comment system works: 43Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. 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