Fierce battles are destroying Sudan’s political landscape as the country’s armed conflicts continue to rage
Freefall in Sudan
Egyptians detained by RSF were released by Sudanese and Egyptian armed forces
“We are looking into the abyss. Humanitarian agencies warn that, without action to end the war, deliver emergency aid, and get agriculture back on its feet, hundreds of thousands of people could die.”
So warned the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, fearing Sudan is on the brink of collapse.
Meanwhile, military and political factions continue their ferocious battles with utter disregard for the fate of their nation and the plight of innocent Sudanese.
Millions have been displaced within and beyond Sudan’s borders, left to face death, disease, famine, and unimaginable suffering.
Even the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan has failed to inspire a moment of respite, as the conflict enters its third consecutive Ramadan, robbing the Sudanese people of the joy and solace traditionally associated with the holy month.
Türk described the Sudanese crisis as the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe and the largest displacement crisis globally. He warned that the country is teetering on the edge of famine, urging the international community to work together towards peace.
But fierce battles are raging between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with artillery shelling, air strikes, and drone attacks continuing unabated.
In recent weeks, the SAF reclaimed vast territories long held by the RSF, including Omdurman, Khartoum, Khartoum Bahri, Al-Ubayyid, White Nile State, and Al-Jazeera State.
However, these areas remain far from stable, with RSF forces persisting in their assaults using drone strikes, extending their reach as far as the Northern State, where they have shelled power stations and the airport in Merowe, plunging the city into darkness.
The conflict in Khartoum remains intense, with vicious battles between the two sides taking place around the presidential palace, a site of significant political symbolism.
The army has intensified its operations in the capital, making substantial gains on multiple fronts and tightening its siege of the palace.
Street fights between army and RSF continue to take place along the roads leading to the palace, with the SAF now close to seizing the Manshiya Bridge, the last remaining RSF-controlled bridge, linking eastern Khartoum and the eastern Nile region.
Seven Egyptian nationals who had been held captive by the RSF for 18 months were freed in an operation coordinated by Egyptian and Sudanese authorities.
The Egyptians were evacuated from conflict zones in central Khartoum and transferred to Port Sudan in the east before being repatriated to Egypt.
The seven Egyptians had been residing in Sudan since 2009, working in the home appliances business. According to their testimonies on returning to Egypt, they were taken by the RSF in June 2023, one month after the outbreak of war in Sudan.
The RSF stormed their residences, seized their money and belongings, and transported them to an undisclosed location. During their captivity, they endured dire, inhumane conditions.
The fiercest battles continue to be around Al-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State and the historic heart of Darfur.
It remains the region’s last bastion of resistance against the RSF, which have seized control of most of Darfur, and continue to attack the SAF and allied armed movements in the city.
The army and its allies are holding their ground with the backing of air strikes and supply reinforcements. In the last few days, the RSF launched a major offensive, deploying dozens of heavily armed vehicles in an attempt to storm Al-Fasher, but the army repelled the attack.
About a million civilians remain trapped in Al-Fasher, facing a humanitarian catastrophe. The city was home to 3.5 million people, but mass displacement continues at an alarming rate.
There are 800,000 internally displaced persons in the surrounding camps.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the RSF are mobilising reinforcements from Nyala, a move that could further intensify the conflict.
Al-Fasher is key to controlling Darfur. Its location at a critical crossroads, linking Darfur to central Sudan and other states, grants whoever holds it both military and political leverage. Beyond its strategic value, the city carries deep historical symbolism. Should it fall, the RSF would secure total dominance over Darfur.
Meanwhile, the RSF and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) have, for the first time, seized control of several towns in the southern Blue Nile State.
No signs of de-escalation appear on the horizon, as a steady influx of weapons, foreign interventions, and the international community’s inaction continue to fuel the war.
The army’s recent battlefield successes have encouraged its leaders to continue the war until the RSF is defeated or announces its surrender. However, the RSF is determined to expand its territorial control, strengthening its alliance with Abdel-Aziz Al-Hilu’s SPLM and other armed movements while also acquiring advanced weaponry. Satellite imagery has recently revealed that the RSF possesses new drones capable of launching precision strikes up to 200 km away, which could alter the dynamics of the conflict.
On the political and diplomatic front, equally fierce power struggles are taking place.
Tensions are rising between the Sudanese army and the Nairobi Alliance, which seeks to establish a parallel government, while sharp divisions persist between political forces and the head of the Sovereignty Council, who has amended the constitutional document. Internal discord persists within major entities like the National Umma Party, now grappling with turmoil following its leader Fadl Burma’s participation in the Nairobi Alliance’s founding meeting. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry and its apparatus have reaffirmed the legitimacy of the Sudanese government and countered any attempts to recognise a parallel administration.
The move was met with immediate support from several Arab and international powers, which categorically rejected the notion of an alternative government. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry expressed its appreciation for the positions of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Algeria, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Russia, China, the US, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.
At the forefront of these affirmations stands Egypt, which rejected any initiative that could threaten Sudan’s unity and stability. Cairo warned that the formation of a parallel government would only serve to complicate the Sudanese crisis, hinder ongoing efforts to unify political factions, and exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation. In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called on “all Sudanese forces to prioritise the nation’s highest interests and engage constructively in an inclusive political process, free of exclusion or foreign interference.”
A new front of contention has emerged as criticism mounts against the constitutional amendments conducted by Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, chairman of the Sovereignty Council and commander-in-chief of the army.
Political and legal figures, including some of his allies, argue that these amendments consolidate his grip on power, granting him absolute sovereign authority. The amendments to the 2019 Constitutional Document were enacted just hours after the signing of the Nairobi Alliance Charter, which brought together the RSF and various military and civilian factions in an effort to establish a parallel government.
Critics of Al-Burhan’s amendments fear that this signals a clear political shift by the Port Sudan government towards alliance with Islamist factions, potentially paving the way to their dominance in the coming period.
The amendments grant Al-Burhan sweeping powers, including the authority to appoint and dismiss the prime minister, regional governors, the chief justice and his deputies, as well as the directors of the Police and General Intelligence.
Moreover, he now heads all regular forces, determines foreign policy, and supervises its implementation. The transitional period has also been extended for up to 30 months, and a Sovereignty Council of 11 members has been formed, with six appointed by the armed forces and three by parties that signed the Juba Peace Agreement, along with representation for women and Sudan’s various regions.
Simultaneously, deep divisions have erupted within the National Umma Party, Sudan’s largest political party, following the signing of the charter which aims to establish a parallel government in areas under the control of the RSF. The party’s leadership dismissed Burma for attending the Nairobi meeting, and Burma responded by threatening to dismiss those who had removed him.
This has triggered a wave of conflicting statements, internal rifts, and growing polarisation within the party.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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