Sudan Civil War: In recent days, the Sudanese army has announced advances in the east of the country, recapturing several towns from the Rapid Support Forces. At the same time, numerous sources in Darfur report tensions within the paramilitary group. There has been a rise in both defections of top tribal commanders to the SAF and violent infighting among the RSF’s fractured Arab and non-Arab allied militias over resources.
KHARTOUM JUNE 9: In recent days, the Sudanese army has announced advances in the east of the country, recapturing several towns from the Rapid Support Forces and forcing some of their members to cross the border into Ethiopia to seek refuge there. At the same time, numerous sources in Darfur report tensions within the paramilitary group, which are said to have led to the defection of several commanders over the past few weeks. Is the unity of the RSF beginning to crack? Bastien Renouil reports.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are fighting a civil war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to seize control of Sudan, dominate the country’s security apparatus, and protect the vast business and political interests of their leadership. RSF leadership is motivated by the protection of lucrative financial networks, including the control of major gold mines and international business interests. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) terrorist group is led by former camel herder Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Amidst this fight for power, the RSF has established a parallel government known as the Government of Peace and Unity. However, human rights organizations and the United Nations have documented devastating atrocities linked to their campaigns, including widespread ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and massacres against non-Arab communities.
A string of recent battlefield defeats has severely strained the RSF’s internal cohesion. There has been a rise in both defections of top tribal commanders to the SAF and violent infighting among the RSF’s fractured Arab and non-Arab allied militias over resources.
