What's Really Going On in Sudan: Civil War, Hemedti's RSF & the Fight for Democracy | Explained

The two men who have been basically running Sudan for the past few years are now at war with each other, and the fighting is tearing the country apart.

0:00 The Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan
1:50 al-Burhan & Hemedti Explained
2:41 Why are Sudan's Generals Fighting?
4:10 Military Government in Sudan
4:25 Omar al-Bashir's, the Janjaweed & the RSF
5:09 Pro-Democracy Protesting in Sudan
6:00 The Khartoum Massacre
6:49 2019 Military Coup in Sudan
8:00 What the Generals Stand to Lose
8:58 Atrocities, Genocide & the War in Darfur
10:00 The Future of Sudan

More than 250,000 people have fled the country more than 1 million have been forced from their homes. World leaders are scrambling to help the two sides negotiate an end to this conflict which has created a humanitarian disaster and is threatening to destabilise the entire region.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, AKA Hemedti, are military generals, as Sudan is one of the few countries in the world run by a military government. Burhan is the general of Sudan's regular army (Sudanese Armed Forces). Hemedti is the commander of a completely separate and independently run militia called the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) and the fighting happening right now is between these two groups.

Both generals blame the other for the violence and say they're the one that's fighting to protect the future of democracy in Sudan, but many don't believe either of these men.

Sudan has a long history of military control and dictatorship and both Burhan and Hemedti have played a key role in keeping the military in power. Since gaining independence in 1956, Sudan has spent about 60 of the following 67 years under various forms of military control

Sudan's longest serving leader during this period (and one of Africa's longest serving dictators) was Omar al-Bashir. Both Burhan and Hemedti rose up the ranks during Bashir's rule. Burhan with the SAF while Hemedti was a commander in the Janjaweed - a collection of Arab militias employed by Bashir to brutally suppress rebel groups during the war in Darfur. In 2013, Bashir helped to form the RSF from the Janjaweed.

By 2018 the people of Sudan had had enough, and a pro-democracy revolution took off around the country. Burhan and Hemedti came to an agreement and sided with the protesters and Bashir was arrested and removed from power. After removing Bashir the generals refused to hand over power to civilians instead appointing themselves as the head and deputy of a new military government. On June 3rd, 2019, military forces killed more than 100 people at a pro-democracy sit-in protest.

This led to intense pressure from inside and outside of Sudan forcing the generals to compromise and agree to a power sharing agreement between the military and civilians. About 2 years later, Burhan and Hemedti staged a military coup & seized full control of Sudan.

Both generals justified all of this by saying they were protecting the country from infighting and instability, but pro-democracy protesters say their actions are proof that they were never in support of democracy and were willing to do whatever was needed to stay in power.

Both Hemedti & Burhan have a lot to lose if Sudan does transition to civilian government, something that started to look a lot more likely by late 2022. In December 2022, the generals agreed to finally start the transition to democracy, but negotiations fell through and fighting between Burhan and Hemedti began.

Civilian leaders want the RSF to be folded into Sudan's military, and for the military to come under the control of a civilian government as is the case in most countries. Civilian leaders are also keen to get Sudan's wealth get back into the hands of civilians as both military groups currently control huge chunks of Sudan's economy. For example, the SAF's ownership of Sudan's biggest bank and agricultural company or Hemedti and the RSF's control over Sudan's most lucrative gold mines. Both generals also fear losing their freedom. Both Burhan and Hemedti have been accused of having ties to atrocities. Not only for the Khartoum Massacre in 2019, but for their roles in wars under Bashir, particularly the War in Darfur.

By Nicholas Maher, ABC

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