Sudan: Ordinary People Bear the Brunt of Power Struggles

Kazi Abul Monsur#
Children can no longer be seen playing on the streets; most of them are fleeing their homes due to lack of food and safety. Women search for safe shelter with their children, but sometimes fall victim to rape and violence. Many men are being separated at checkpoints and killed, leaving families destitute. Hospitals are nearly non-functional. Where health centers are still open, there is a severe shortage of medicines and treatment. Access to food is difficult; market inflation has reached such levels that most people cannot afford even two meals a day.

Locals say, “We don’t know where we will be tomorrow or how our families will survive.” Many families travel on dangerous roads near borders, facing risks of airstrikes, bombs, or gunfire. Education is effectively halted. Schools are closed due to the conflict, leaving children without schooling. At the same time, psychological trauma is increasing; even young children are exposed to the harsh realities of daily life. This is the grim reality of Sudan.

Italian thinker Antonio Gramsci once famously wrote in his Prison Notebooks (1929–1935) that the ruling class loses its leadership and leans toward authoritarianism. According to Gramsci, Sudan’s old governance system is dying, and a new system struggles to emerge. The time of war monsters has arrived.

After the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, a power vacuum emerged between Sudan’s army and the Islamists. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which originated from the Janjaweed militia, began competing for control. Since April 2023, SAF and RSF have been engaged in direct armed conflict over military control, resources, and political influence in different regions. RSF operates mainly in Darfur, the Nile, and eastern Sudan, while SAF retains dominance in central and urban areas.

Sudan’s current conflict revolves around SAF, RSF, and the Islamists along with their allied coalition. The country’s population is approximately 51.6 million, and the main religion is Islam, with about 97% of people being Muslim, mostly Sunni.

In the context of the current conflict, Sudan is receiving political and military backing mainly from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and, to some extent, Egypt. The UAE assists parts of RSF with weapons and training to enhance their power, aiming to expand political influence and secure key resources such as oil and trade opportunities. Internationally quiet, the UAE uses RSF to extend its influence across the Middle East and Africa. Egypt mainly supports SAF to maintain Sudan’s border security, control of the Nile, and political stability, ensuring no Islamist extremist power rises unchecked.

The Islamists are primarily from Omar al-Bashir’s former ruling party, the National Congress Party (NCP). They have long tried to maintain political control in Sudan. Their goal is to obstruct democratic transition, preserve their political and economic influence, and govern according to Islamic principles. Their coalition includes supportive militias, political and economic partners, and parts of the RSF. This coalition acts in the interest of the Islamists, sometimes using RSF’s military strength or seizing land and business opportunities to expand economic influence.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) is the country’s regular military, generally under central government control, and usually opposes Islamists, seeking professional governance. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is a paramilitary group originating from the Janjaweed militia, aiming to expand power independently but occasionally cooperating with Islamists to protect their interests. RSF’s activities, especially in Darfur, Kordofan, and El Fasher, have caused intense conflict.

General Omar al-Bashir came to power in 1989, with the Islamists’ NCP running the state. In the early 2000s, the Janjaweed militia emerged, actively involved in the Darfur massacres. At that time, RSF was formed, converting the Janjaweed into a paramilitary force. Ordinary citizens and ethnic minority communities in Darfur faced extreme violence and terror. In April 2019, Bashir resigned under pressure from protests and media campaigns. SAF took command, but political vacuums and internal conflicts persisted. Islamists and their coalition tried to obstruct democratic transition.

The SAF-RSF conflict escalated in April 2023. RSF is particularly active in Darfur, Kordofan, and El Fasher, while SAF maintains dominance in urban and central regions. Civilians, especially in El Fasher and Darfur, are most affected. The SAF and RSF remain in armed conflict. Islamists and their coalition continue obstructing democratic transition. Ordinary people, particularly in Darfur, Kordofan, and the Nile regions, are the greatest victims of war and the humanitarian crisis.

The world is watching silently as one country’s Muslims kill fellow Muslims in another, with no clear answers or accountability from anyone.