Sudan Shattered: Rival generals unleash violence on Khartoum

The New Arab Voice

The past few weeks in Sudan have been exceptionally violent.

Two feuding generals, in charge of the biggest armed groups in the country, have launched their own personal war in Sudan. Nearly 500 people have died, and thousands have been forced to flee.

The culprits are Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s armed forces, and Mohamad Hamdan Dagalo - popularly known as Hemedti - who heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Both Burhan and Hemedti rose under the rule of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir, when they were commanders during counter insurgency operations in Darfur in the early 2000s - what many now deem a genocide.

Since then, the two leaders worked together, even ruling the country together since 2019.

But theirs has only ever been a marriage of convenience. Internal rivalries and political disagreements eventually exploded earlier this month, and the RSF and the army have unleashed a war on Sudan - catching the country's helpless population in the crossfire.

This week on The New Arab Voice, we examine the generals behind the violence in Sudan. Who are they? Why are they fighting? And will they ever make peace?

For this episode, we sat down with Jihad Mashamoun (@ComradeJihad), an expert and analyst on Sudan; and David Shinn (@AmbShinn), the former US ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

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This podcast is written by Ali Abbas Ahmadi and produced by Hugo Goodridge.

Theme music by Omar al-Fil.

Other music by Blue Dot Sessions.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TheNewArabVoice or email [e-mail]

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