The Guardian: Sudan. General against general and both against the people

The British newspaper "The Guardian" addressed the conflict in Sudan, saying that it is "a struggle of general against general and both against the people and considered that both are hungry for power for control, but the desire for democracy in the country remains.

"Initially, the head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, nicknamed Hemedti, turned against former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, whom they served when the Sudanese people rose up against him, and then they turned against the civilian politicians who came to power afterwards, and now they turned against each other," the newspaper said in an editorial.

Horrific and frightening

Many had expected the two men to clash, but the explosion of violence earlier this week, its scale and the speed with which it spread across the country, including Darfur and the eastern border areas, were horrific and frightening.

Both men have a grim track record, playing leading roles in the campaign to fight militants in Darfur, especially the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Guardian cited the reason for the outbreak of the conflict between them, citing plans to merge the RSF with the army in a framework that is supposed to lead to the country's return to civilian rule after the 2021 coup.

A matter of life and death

The two men appear to regard their fight as a matter of life and death, with Hemedti saying Burhan "will die like any dog" if he is not brought to justice, while the army declared Hemedti a "wanted criminal".

If the violence continues, the real danger will be the intervention of an increasing number of local and foreign actors, making resolving the conflict more difficult than ever, in addition to concerns about Sudan itself and the spillover of fighting to Chad, the Central African Republic and other parts of the region.

First step

Ending the fighting would be the first step, and unified and sustained international support for a ceasefire was needed.

This military conflict has brought pro-democracy activists now more distant than ever from their goals, redirecting efforts from politics to meeting the basic needs of their citizens and seeking an end to violence.