The war of generals in Sudan and the Arab solution

The Arab countries and countries of the world have chosen to evacuate their citizens from Sudan, a week after armed conflict broke out between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the two warring parties in the current struggle over power in Sudan. After ordering his forces to engage in the fight, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese army, chose to clarify the situation in Sudan through communicating with all international leaders and through media appearances. As for Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), commander of the RSF, he chose to communicate with world leaders and clarify his position and demands through the media, and he also chose to roam the streets of Khartoum on the third day of Eid Al-Fitr to meet his soldiers in the field.

The United Nations will hold a session to discuss the deteriorating situation in Sudan. Amid these international, Arab and internal options in Sudan, the battles are still going on, with killing and displacement continuing. According to the latest UN statistics, more than 400 Sudanese civilians and military personnel have been killed. Nearly 3,500 people, including children, have been injured, and the displaced numbered thousands, although there is no official figure yet. All of this happened within less than ten days of the confrontations that erupted on Saturday, April 15.

What should the Arabs do regarding the situation in Sudan? Is what is happening in Sudan a local affair that the Arabs should stay away from? Or it does matter for the Arabs?

The recent incidents taking place in Sudan and the statements given by the warring parties, Burhan and Hemedti, make it imperative for the Arabs to intervene and save Sudan.

It is obvious that Sudan and its people will pay the cost of the current stunt witnessed by the capital city of Khartoum and the other Sudanese cities. If the situation remains without a quick solution, we will have another Libya or even Somalia in the region, which means another Arab state added to the states suffering from the scourge of civil wars that wipe out everything and do not end until the country reaches rock bottom.

The Arabs’ interest calls for an immediate intervention to provide all forms of political and diplomatic aid in order to end the conflict, as well as providing support to enable the Sudanese to form a civil government, go to the polls as soon as possible, hold elections, and hand over the state to a civilian government.

The state that Sudan has reached is not surprising. The struggle over the seat of power has not stopped since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir, and the generals’ holding on to power was clear despite all the promises to hand it over to a civilian administration. In light of this fragile situation, the Sudanese government was bound to collapse, and this collapse has a heavy price. So far, hundreds of civilians have been killed, homes and facilities have been destroyed, and hospitals and state institutions have been disrupted. Hundreds of soldiers from both sides of the conflict have been killed, and all these are from the Sudanese people, not enemies or invaders.

Sudan is a country that cannot stand new wars. For thirty years, Sudan lived through all kinds of challenges, difficulties and penalties until it reached today’s economic collapse and political conflict. The fall of Sudan would be catastrophic and cannot be compared to Yemen, Syria or Iraq, and its recovery from a long state of war and attrition will make its resurrection more difficult than we can imagine. Therefore, the movement of the Arabs and the movement of the Arab League to take positive action towards Sudan is no longer an option. It is assumed that the Arabs have learned a lot during the past ten years after the fall of several states, governments and regimes since the outbreak of the so-called Arab Spring. It is also assumed that the Arab consciousness is fully aware of the course of events in any Arab country following the collapse of its government or regime.

In the current situation of Sudan, it may not be wise to support any of the parties to the conflict - especially at this time - as they are partners in the current failure and they are the cause of the conflict that Sudan has reached today. Supporting one party amid these circumstances is considered a return to the first phase following the ouster of the Bashir regime, the phase from which it will not be possible to get out of once it has returned. Also, every day that passes with this situation continuing means that the conflict becomes more complicated, and the longer this crisis lasts, the more difficult it becomes to reach a peaceful solution and dialogue.