The Situation in Sudan: The Case of Rapid Support Forces.
An opinion piece about the ongoing conflict in #Khartoum, #Sudan, a power struggle between the rival factions of the military, the #RSF (Rapid Support Forces), and the #SAF (Sudan Armed Forces). A conflict with the potential to plunge the entire North Eastern African region into unprecedented turmoil, instability, and insecurity.
The Rapid Support Forces, commonly referred to as RSF, is a paramilitary group operating in Sudan. The paramilitary group came to international prominence in 2003 during the civil war in Darfur, which eventually culminated in the Darfur Genocide. RSF militias come from the predominantly nomadic Arab tribes in Sudan, notably in Darfur.
RSF grew in power as a result of the policies of divide and rule implemented by the ruling Arab elites in Khartoum. These Arab elites have had disdain for the non-Arab ethnicities in Sudan since 1955. This hatred became apparent through a policy of Arabisation & Islamization of Sudan. The result of this parochial policy excluded a majority of Sudanese people from the affairs of their country. The exclusion of non-Arab people politically and economically culminated in successive civil wars in the South, Darfur, and Nuba mountains. In the South, the unwinnable civil war inevitably resulted in the secession of South Sudan in 2011 through a referendum. In Darfur, the unimaginable devastation, fever-high level of criminality, and destruction brought about genocide and crimes against humanity, for which those responsible are yet to be held accountable. The RSF was such an instrumental force in the destruction of Darfur.
The RSF was a tool of the Sudanese state’s Arab supremacist elites. It was used to crush any dissent and uprising among the oppressed people in Darfur and eventually during the 2019 protests in Khartoum. The ruling elites used the same tactics during the civil war in South Sudan. Arming one ethnic group and setting that group’s armed bandits loose on civilians from neighboring villages. This was the Modus Operandi (MO) of the ruling Arab elites in Khartoum. They repeated this MO in Darfur with such efficiency and brutality. The RSF also comprises recruits from the nomadic Arab tribes hence the moniker Janjaweed, which means devil on horseback. The RSF was a rebrand to distinguish from its former self, the Janjaweed, but also an attempt to absolve the Janjaweed of responsibility for atrocities committed in Darfur. They were ruthless. They effectively maintained the elite power structure and status quo in Khartoum by using every military tool to subjugate and oppress the people of Darfur and marginalized regions, not to follow the path taken by South Sudan or see real political transformation in Sudan. It must be said that former Sudanese president Omar Hassan Al Bashir and his Islamist elites were directly responsible for the formation, sustenance, and rise to prominence of the RSF. The RSF, in collaboration with the Sudanese Army (SAF), ensured the Arab Supremacist elite power structure in Sudan stood unchallenged and unyielding to the demands of the people.
The RSF did not just come from nowhere, nor did they burst into the international scene without prior notice. There are international players and partners of the ruling elites that benefit from the status quo in Sudan. It beckons the question, where does all the illegal gold mined in Darfur and other parts of Sudan go? The grabbing of agricultural land, and who’s behind all this? Who’s driving this new gold rush and scramble for resources in the country? We know which countries the Sudanese ruling elites aligned themselves with against the wishes of the majority. As we blame RSF for its brutality against civilians, let us remember the real culprits who brought the RSF to power because their goal is to thwart the will of the people for a genuinely democratic and economic transformation in the country. Let’s not be quick to choose sides.
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) leader, Al-Burhan, is the epitomization of the status quo. He represents the old guard, the Arab elites, who have for decades led Sudan to the path it is on now. And there are no signs of them giving up any time soon. The old guard, like Al-Burhan and their loyalties, created the RSF. They used the RSF to kill and commit genocide. There is no saint or lesser of two evils in this brutal power struggle in Khartoum. As peace-loving observers, we cannot let perpetrators of oppression or any kind of supremacy win. It begs the question, has the RSF leadership come to a new realization that, in fact, the problem is not the Sudanese people at the peripheries but rather the archaic power structure in Khartoum? Anyone who has been following the protests in Sudan since 2019 can attest to the claim that, maybe, it is plausible to conclude that RSF leadership has come to the realization that they were merely tools of the state; used by the Arab elite power structure in Sudan to entrench their will upon Sudan, and prevent the country from living up to its political, social and economic potential. The RSF have realized they are being used against the ordinary Sudanese who have complained about marginalization, oppression, deprivation, genocide, racism, and subjugation.
As the African saying “When elephants fight, the grass suffers.” Unfortunately, this war between two maniacal generals will not affect the elites but the ordinary Sudanese people, who are seen as collateral damage in a big game of power struggle. The Sudanese are a proud people with a long history of public protests to usher in change, as we witnessed 3 years ago when people took to the streets to protest against the long reign of Omar Hassan Al-Bashir. Little did we know that the generals who sided with the protesters at the time would stab the movement in the back; by plotting behind closed doors to thwart the real transition to a democratic dispensation in Sudan. Like most, my heart aches when I think of the ordinary people in Sudan; the Sudanese, South Sudanese, Nuba, Nubian, Blue Nile people, and the non-Arab tribes of Darfur will bear the brunt of this war for decades to come.
Yet, I remain optimistic, for in situations like this, we must not lose hope and make our voices louder. You must ask yourself, what can I do? You have a voice; use it. Let your voice be as loud as a siren. We must call out the power structure in the Arab World, The Russians, The Chinese, Europeans, and Americans who have interests in the region to speak out loud and clear with one voice. No to war, and let the will of the Sudanese citizens to transition to a civilian government take precedence. The African Union (AU) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) could once and for all demonstrate their tenacity to rescue the country from descending into chaos and oversee the transition to civilian rule Sudan. The history of Sudan has not been kind to efforts by the African Union to bring peace to Sudan. Sudan is a member of the AU and IGAD. Therefore, it is time for Sudan’s ruling elites to look inwards, instead of outwards, to the Arab World for moral guidance and to the West, Russia, or China to bring peace to this beautiful, culturally, and historically rich land.
- IGAD must convene an emergency session of its security council to ensure the situation does not get out of hand
- The UN general assembly must be united and vote to condemn war and call for a civil government according to the will of the people.
- The two sides to the conflict must agree to a permanent ceasefire and succession of hostilities.
- Individually donate to reputable charity organizations to help those affected on the ground.
- Countries in the region must remain neutral and not support one group against the other because all that will do is prolong the stalemate.
In this hour, I am reminded of the Egyptian proverb, “If you are a leader of peace, listen to the discourse of the petitioner. Be not abrupt with him; that will trouble him.” Both parties to the conflict must listen to one another, most importantly, heed the demands of civil society. It is at this hour that true leaders are made. As the 6th US President John Quincy Adams elucidated, leaders whose actions must inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more. True leaders.
Authored by,
John N.G. Woja, MPA
On April 23, 2023
