The recent statements by the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemedti’, in which he made pubic behind the scene events related to his former ally-turned rival, Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, have raised so many a question within the current complicated war situation between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and RSF.
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Hemaidti revealed that Burhan played a role in the Arab Baath foiled coup, that he consented to moving an RSF unit to north Sudan’s move to Merowe military base and that he was behind the release of army officers who had executed the fatal dispersal of the peaceful protesters during the youth sit-in, within the peripheries of the army headquarters, 2019.
These disclosures stirred questions about the timing and intentions, including whether there is a genuine desire for ending the conflict between the two sides.
“The simple answer for this question is, in my view, that I don’t foresee any chance of Burhan and Hemaidti working together to achieve peace and stability in the Sudan; Both of them are just war lords” argued Dr lbrahim Al Najeeb, a leader within the Sudanese Liberal Party.
Dr Najeeb added that for him Hemaidti statements were mere war tactics aimed to serve as impetus to lure Burhan to seek negotiations.
But for Orwa Al Sadiq, a leader within the political alliance Forces for Freedom and Change, Hemaidti’s statements shows his anger as he believed it was thanks to RSF sacrifice that Burhan has come to assume the position of the leader in the country while he himself came out with lesser gains, below what he believes he deserves.
He argued that it was quite possible that Hemaidti had sought to shame Burhan and show that he was unworthy of being at the head of the government and was not fit for changing the country’s deteriorated situation, while at the same time seeking to raise Hemaidti as a man deserving that position.
Political analyst Mahir Abu Aljoukh said Hemaidti’s audio recording underlined basic facts including that Hemaidti is alive because of the jargon used and the details he related. Secondly, the statements were a reaction to Burhan’s statements that victory over the RSF is imminent while transferring the country’s capital to Port Sudan indicates that ending of the war is far from near.
Orwa Al Sadiq thinks Hemaidti statements would widen the gap between the belligerents from reaching a mutually agreed upon agenda for negotiations.
Professor Abdel Alim Al Tahir said there is no option for Burhan but to seek a negotiated solution for the conflict, pointing to the given army unstable position in the Armored Corps battle and the RSF reiterated call for negotiations despite its control over important military sites.
The trading of accusations between the two Commanders is not something new and these accusations will not be carried to the negotiating table, Al Tahir added.
Al Joukh said the two parties need to end the war throught negotiations and that this was preference of all stakeholders, to the exception of the element affiliated to the dissolved National Congress party. It is most likely that a negotiated political solution will eclipse Burhan and Hemaidti from the scene.
However, if the two leaders and other senior military officers were to be reinstated in their posts, the conflict would erupt once again, in a more violent manner, because of the total lack of trust between the two top leaders.
