Six months of civil war in Sudan could be reaching a new phase as the head of the army appears to be cementing control, at least internationally.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Sovereign Council, which controls the armed forces, is set to go to the UN General Assembly on or around September 19. In the last weeks he has made major strides abroad. He visited Egypt where he met with the Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Both men have an army background. Sisi has been in charge since 2013.
This week US Ambassador to the UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield went to Chad to see refugees from the fighting in Sudan. She announced that “the United States is providing nearly $163 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Sudan and neighboring countries.”
The US treasury also sanctioned Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, who leads one of the sides in the civil war. The US accuses his group, the RSF, of abuses against civilians. Both sides have been accused of abuses in the war.
Now Al-Burhan is in Doha, according to reports at Al-Ain media. He went “this morning to the Qatari capital, Doha, on an official visit,” the reports say. He is there for discussions with the Emir of Qatar “to address the course of bilateral relations between the two countries, ways to enhance them, issues of common interest, and developments in the situation in Sudan.”
The fighting in Sudan
When fighting began in Sudan in April two armed factions; the army and Rapid Support Forces, began fighting for control. However it now appears the US and the international community is moving to side with the army.
Qatar has also played a similar role in other places, such as hosting the Taliban and brokering a deal with the US that saw the Taliban return to power.
Once Doha makes a move it often is with the blessing of other key countries and represents a new phase. Doha, for instance, also sent an envoy to Gaza this week. In the past, Qatar has backed groups linked to political Islam or the Muslim Brotherhood. These days it is more cautious, but its overall policy is the same. Doha and Turkey often work together closely on foreign policy decisions.
The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan are led by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. He has close ties to tribal fighters and these have ties across the Sahel. However, Dagalo is seen as leading groups that abuse human rights and also may be tied to either Russia or other countries in the region.
This is not a simple story, but the West would prefer groups that have no connections to Moscow. As such the army in Sudan has worked abroad to paint the RSF as more extreme and pro-Moscow.
Dagalo comes from a humble background but has his own agenda. The army is also critiqued sometimes for having connections to the former regime of Omar al-Bashir. Bashir was accused of genocide.
The Saudis have worked with the US to secure ceasefires in Sudan. However, much of the international community has been absent and ignored the Sudan conflict. Now things may be changing.
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