The Sudanese capital, Khartoum, has been engulfed in intense combat for three consecutive days, resulting in nearly 100 casualties as the military clashes with the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This violent confrontation has shattered hopes for a peaceful transition to civilian rule in the country.
At the center of the ongoing clashes in Sudan are two prominent figures: Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the military leader of Sudan, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who is the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). While they were previously allies, tensions have emerged during negotiations to integrate the RSF into the country’s military as part of efforts to establish civilian rule, leading to the current conflict.
The central question at the heart of the conflict is the issue of hierarchy and subordination in the new power structure. According to sources, these hostilities are the culmination of a power struggle between the two parties, each vying for dominance.
The clashes initially began on Saturday and eyewitnesses in Khartoum reported hearing mortars and artillery in the early hours of Monday, with the fighting escalating after dawn prayers towards Khartoum International Airport and Sudanese Army garrison locations. Both sides are accusing each other of initiating the conflict.
CNN spoke to both Hemedti and Burhan in separate interviews this week.
Sudan’s paramilitary chief accuses the army of breaking the humanitarian ceasefire
The leader of Sudan’s powerful paramilitary group RSF, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has accused the Sudanese army of breaking an UN-brokered temporary humanitarian ceasefire Sunday evening.
“We’re under attack from all directions,” Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, told CNN’s Larry Madowo in a telephone interview. “We stopped fighting and the other side did not, which put us in a predicament and we had to keep fighting to defend ourselves,” he claimed.
Hemedti speculated that army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has lost control of his military, saying “they don’t seem to be listening to him.”
He also claimed to be in control of the presidential palace, Khartoum airport, and the General Command headquarters. CNN cannot independently verify the claim.
When asked if his endgame in the clashes was to rule Sudan, Hemedti said he had “no such intentions.”
“There should be a civilian government. This has always been my stance,” he said.
The RSF leader apologized to the Sudanese people and blamed the military for kickstarting the conflict. “It was not us who did this. We were defending ourselves. We’re sorry and we tell the Sudanese people that this crisis will end, and Sudan will be even better than before. And this will be a lesson to learn in the future.”
Watch on CNN: https://cnn.it/3KFd6zb
Sudan military chief calls RSF offensive an ‘attempted coup’
Speaking with CNN’s Nima Elbagir, the head of Sudan’s military, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has characterized an offensive staged in recent days by the paramilitary RSF as an “attempted coup.”
“This is an attempted coup and rebellion against the state,” Burhan told CNN by phone. He said that RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had “mutinied” against the state, and if captured, would be tried in court of law.
The sound of gunshots rang out in the background, despite an agreed-upon ceasefire at 4pm local time. Burhan claimed that for a second day, the RSF’s leader had violated that agreed ceasefire.
“Yesterday and today a humanitarian ceasefire proposal was put forward and agreed upon. Sadly, he did not abide by it. You can hear right now the attempts to storm the Army headquarters, and indiscriminate mortar attacks. He’s using the humanitarian pause to continue the fight.”
When asked about that allegation, a spokesperson for the RSF told CNN that the RSF was trying to abide by the ceasefire, but “they keep firing which leaves no choice” but for the RSF to “defend itself by firing back.”
When challenged on why the Sudanese people should trust him, given his former alliance with Dagalo, Burhan told CNN: “The Sudanese Army is the people’s army.”
“It is not owned by specific people or specific organizations,” he said. “It is a national institution, which is tasked with defending Sudan.”
