Mediators announced in statements on Friday and early Saturday that "the Commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, are willing to take steps to de-escalate the tension between their forces." The army warned last Thursday of a "potential confrontation" between its forces and the RSF following the deployment of RSF units, indicating long-standing disputes that hinder efforts to restore civilian rule.
The RSF, which along with the army ousted former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, began redeploying its units in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas amid talks that started last month to integrate the paramilitary forces into the army under a transitional plan leading to new elections. Dagalo, known in Sudan as Hemeti, serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council headed by al-Burhan.
Sources close to al-Burhan and Dagalo confirmed on Friday that they remain in dispute over who will assume the position of the army's chief commander during the integration period, which will last several years. The RSF argues that "the commander should be the civilian president of the state," which the army rejects.
The disagreement between the army and the RSF has delayed the final signing of an agreement with political parties and the formation of a civilian government. Following the warning issued by the Sudanese army last Thursday, several local and international parties offered mediation, including Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, Darfur Governor Mini Minawi, and Sovereignty Council member Malik Agar, three former opposition leaders who took positions following the peace agreement in 2020.
The three stated in a joint announcement on Friday: "After a frank and serious dialogue, the commander has confirmed to us his full commitment to de-escalation and his readiness to sit with his brother, the Sovereignty Council Chairman, and his brothers in the leadership of the Sudanese Armed Forces at any time and without conditions to reach a fundamental solution to the crisis, which spares blood and achieves security and reassurance for the people and the homeland."
In a separate statement early Saturday morning, the mediators indicated that "they met with al-Burhan, who showed readiness to take any step to assist in resolving the ongoing issues between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF and restoring matters to their natural state." They added: "We reassure the citizens that the crisis is on its way to resolution."
Sources in the army told Reuters that "to ease the escalation, the RSF must withdraw its personnel stationed near a military airport in the city of Meroe and that its movements should be coordinated with the army and within legal boundaries." Sources from the RSF told Reuters on Friday, "the movements came in coordination with al-Burhan."
Concerns and fears were expressed by several citizens to Reuters regarding the talk of "a potential confrontation between the army and the RSF and witnessing armored vehicles and military trucks in the streets of Khartoum." Many placed blame on both sides. Nafisa Sulaiman, sitting in a vegetable shop, said, "They are fighting for power and plundering the state, while we are fighting for food, drink, education, and healthcare."
Issam Hassan (35 years old) noted, "We live in fear from the tensions among the military, who are supposed to protect citizens, but they have become the biggest threat to him. This farce must stop. The army is the army of Sudan, and the RSF should be under its control. No country should have more than one army."
The Forces of Freedom and Change, the main civilian coalition in Sudan, joined pro-democracy opposition committees and labor unions in accusing the dissolved National Congress Party, which was headed by al-Bashir and still has a presence within the army, of "creating strife" in a rare joint statement.
Earlier this week, an official from the dissolved National Congress Party told Reuters, "the party is ramping up its movements to oppose this suspended agreement." The Forces of Freedom and Change participated in a power-sharing agreement with the army and the RSF after al-Bashir was ousted, but the military coup against the civilian government in October 2021 offered a chance for al-Bashir's supporters to return to public life. Dagalo stated, "The return of al-Bashir's supporters to the scene has made him regret the coup and pushed him to support the agreement to initiate a new transitional phase."
