Two days ago, a friend of mine sent me audio recordings of a Chadian activist discussing the project of the Arabic diaspora in Africa. This group views the ongoing war in Sudan as an opportunity to realize their dream of establishing a state that brings them together. The speaker calls for the creation of a fund to raise financial donations for the "Rapid Support Forces" and for a campaign to recruit more young people to join these forces in fighting.
The man, addressing participants in a social media group that appears to be supportive of the "Rapid Support Forces" and their war in Sudan, spoke enthusiastically about what he described as a project for the scattered Arab nationality across several African countries, and the chance to unite them in a shared state. He warned the Arabs of Chad that the failure of the "Rapid Support" project in Sudan would mean the end of the dream of an Arabic diaspora state, claiming that retaliatory massacres against the Arab element in Chad would occur, as well as the extermination of tribes that support the "Rapid Support Forces."
This rhetoric is not new; it has often been echoed by several figures from Chad in particular, who see the Sudanese war as a gateway to their state's ambitions. However, it hasn't garnered much attention, neither locally nor regionally, because the political forces in my troubled country are consumed by their own narrow political conflicts, oblivious to the great danger threatening Sudan.
A careful look at the geographical expansion of the "Rapid Support Forces" clearly shows that their control over the Darfur region and parts of Kordofan, followed by their advance from the Gezira region southwards and eastwards towards areas bordering Ethiopia, indicates that if the African Arabic diaspora project discussed by some of their activists succeeds, it would be at the expense of the richest regions in animal and mineral resources in the west of the country, as well as the most fertile agricultural lands in the center and east, bordered by several countries that openly or covertly sympathize with the "Rapid Support Forces", and possibly with the project to divide Sudan.
Some claim that the "Rapid Support Forces" are fighting to achieve the slogans of the December 2018 revolution and against the "Islamists" for democracy. Such statements are laughable, if not pathetic. What kind of democracy can be brought by a force that participated in suppressing the revolution, in the massacre during the dispersal of the sit-in at the army headquarters, in the coup against the transitional government, and that was part of Bashir’s regime and a tool in his hand, with members among them from the "Islamists" they claim to fight?
Since the start of this war, the goal of the "Rapid Support Forces" has been to seize control of the country and authority, as evidenced by their early movements and documented statements from their members who proclaimed, "We have taken control of Sudan."
Narrow political calculations lead some to ignore the reality of the "Rapid Support Forces" and the widespread recruitment and naturalization campaigns they have undertaken, which perhaps serve the project promoted by the African Arabic diaspora. Additionally, the leadership of the "Rapid Support Forces" no longer has full control over its geographically expanded forces, relying on reinforcements arriving from the Arabic diaspora in huge numbers to compensate for their losses in combat.
During this difficult time, a coordinated attack from some on the army continues, including claims that it has begun to rely on mercenaries from the Tigray region of Ethiopia or from other areas. Notably, those spreading this narrative tend to overlook the tens of thousands of mercenaries who have come to fight for the "Rapid Support Forces," as well as the vast quantities of weapons being transported across the borders, a matter that has been documented by several international reports.
Those stirring this uproar are the same individuals who previously attacked the army's mobilization and recruitment campaigns to confront the extended war waged by the "Rapid Support Forces." They do not want citizens to rally in support of their army to defend themselves, their properties, and their dignity, while it is fighting a war on multiple fronts and facing the gravest conspiracy ever to confront Sudan.
The campaign is now continuing by promoting claims regarding the army's reliance on mercenaries. Even if this were true, the Sudanese army would not be hence committing a novel act in warfare, as both ancient and modern history demonstrates, from the times of the Romans and Greeks to the present day. The US relied on fighters from Blackwater in Iraq, Russia uses Wagner fighters in the Ukraine war and in multiple fronts in Africa, and France has also employed mercenaries in overseas operations, particularly in Africa, among many others.
What Sudan needs today is not for some to engage in a campaign to undermine the army but to repel the great imminent danger to the country. This is a top priority over all calculations and political conflicts that have driven the country into this abyss.