Sudan Crisis Explainer: Past turmoil, two generals, military rivalry, and other causes for fight

Sudan Crisis: Causes and fighting groups  

Who are people fighting in Sudan?
Sudan has been in news for a few days as more than 100 people have died in a power struggle between two military leaders. The fighting erupted in the capital city of Khartoum and in many other parts of the world. The two factions at the centre of the fight are the country's military, led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is also the president of the country, and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is headed by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.   

What is the cause for fight?
Ever since a coup in October 2021, there has been a power struggle between General Burhan and General Dagalo.

Though Dagalo is junior to Burhan, Dagalo has the ambitious plan of deploying as many as 100,000-strong RSF into the army.

Burhan sees it as a threat to his authority as the army chief.

Fights erupted when RSF members were deployed in various parts of the country.

Tensions had been simmering below the surface ever since long-serving president Omar al-Bashir was ousted in a military coup in 2019, but they erupted on Saturday morning when shots were fired in various places in Sudan.

It is still not clear who fired the early shots, but they trigerred the non-ending chain of fights which has taken the lives of more than 100 people.   

What do two generals want?
After al-Bashar's nearly three-decade-long reign ended in 2019, a joint military-civilian government was established, but it was also ousted in a military coup in October 2021.

Ever since, General Burhan and General Dagalo have been at loggerheads and at the centre of Sudan's politics. 

General Dagalo says the coup in 2021 was a mistake, and he and RSF are on the people's side, and against Sudan's elites. However, RSF has had a chequered record.

The force has huge accusations of human rights violations against itself, the most prominent is the massacre of 120 protesters in June 2019.

RSF has its origins in the Janjaweed militia, which fought against rebels in Darfour in 2013 and was accused of ethnic cleansing.     

General Burhan says that the military will hand over power only to an elected government. Such an arrangement rules out civilian representation in a power-sharing deal. 

However, many people in Sudan see both generals and their supporters as ones who are concerned only about their wealth and influence in Sudanese politics. 

Can international pressure stop the fight?
 

African politicians and diplomats are trying to resolve the issue and end the crisis soon.

Presidents from Kenya, South Sudan, and Djibouti are ready to travel to Sudan and talk to people in political power there, but the country has been declared a no-fly zone.

The UK, the US, and the European Union have also shown interest in resolving the crisis. But at present, there seems to be no end to Sudan's woes.