Sudan government rejects east African mediation move

Sudan government rejects east African mediation move

Subject :IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

• Sudan’s Army­ aligned government spurned an invitation to an East African summit and rebuked the United Nations for engaging with the commander of rival paramilitary forces.

What is the Current Crisis in Sudan?

Background:

• The conflict in Sudan has its roots in the overthrowing of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir by military generals in April 2019, following widespread protests.
• This led to an agreement between the military and protesters, under which a power-sharing body called the Sovereignty Council was established to lead Sudan to elections at the end of 2023.
• However, the military overthrew the transitional government led by Abdalla Hamdok in October 2021, with Burhan becoming the de-facto leader of the country and Dagalo his second-in-command.

Tussle between Army and RSF:

• Soon after the 2021 coup, a power struggle between two military (SAF) and paramilitary (RSF) generals arose, interrupting a plan to transition to elections.
• A preliminary deal was reached in December 2021 for a political transition, but negotiations hit a roadblock over the integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), due to disagreements over the timetable and security sector reforms.
• Tensions escalated over the control of resources and RSF integration, leading to clashes.
• There was disagreement over how the 10,000-strong RSF should be integrated into the army, and which authority should oversee that process.
• Also, Dagalo (RSF general) wanted to delay the integration for 10 years but the army said it would take place in the next two years.