It seems that our region is terrified of peace and charmed by wars. It is as though the lines of this poem by Al-Ahmeer Al-Saeedi chart its course:
“The wolf howled, and when the wolf howls, I am put at ease
The sound of man almost puts me in flight
God sees that I despise the genial
They despise me because of their conscience and their eyes.”
Indeed, this excerpt unfortunately describes the scenes currently unfolding in Sudan. Despite all the difficulties that Sudanese citizens are dealing with, and the existential threat facing the state and what remains of its institutions, the army and the Rapid Support Forces are fighting it out in armed clashes. They are fighting for control and power, nothing more.
Yes, this is a power struggle. At a time when everyone was anticipating Sudan’s peaceful transition to a civic state, the Rapid Support Forces and their leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (aka Hemedti), launched an attempt to ascend to power through the force of arms.
No one wants the fighting to continue; that much is certain. Sudan and its people do not deserve this. Indeed, the Sudanese, as we Arabs know, are a peaceful people who are not easily incited to commit violence. But that is one thing, and what is happening now is something else.
Things have come to a head. Armed clashes among the soldiers have erupted. While we have seen many reports about what is happening in Sudan, most of them are not based on reality. As the saying goes, “the truth is the first casualty of war.”
Since the Rapid Support Forces fired the first bullet of their ongoing coup attempt five days ago, we have seen a flurry of blatantly false reports. Unfortunately, the fake news has been spread by media figures on Twitter, especially those who are pushing the propaganda of the Rapid Support Forces.
The point, here, is that the longer these military skirmishes go on, the higher the costs paid by Sudan and its citizens and the more foreign meddling we will see. The crisis is getting worse, especially in terms of mediation efforts, particularly those led by the Europeans and the United States.
Therefore, only the victory of the army, which is the lesser evil, can help Sudan and the Sudanese. True, an army victory would perpetuate the military’s impression that it has triumphed and, by extension, its desire for power. Nonetheless, a Rapid Support Forces victory would be worse. It would mean the end of the Sudanese state and its replacement by militias.
The situation in the region and its ongoing crises, for which its people are primarily responsible, demands rejecting military coups and the use of force. All militias, regardless of their backers and pretexts, must be rejected.
It is time to say enough is enough. We cannot continue to go easy on those who launch coups and resort to violence, be it in Sudan or anywhere else. We must tell those who have turned their back to the logic of peace and stability that the house has protection. We must tell them that our countries will play no role in reconstruction, nor will they provide aid, neither in Sudan nor even in Syria.
Thus, contrary to the claims of the Rapid Support Forces, this is no defense of the state and democracy. That is a patent lie. Rather, it is a power struggle, and the army, which is the lesser evil, must win.
Unless the battle is decided swiftly, its repercussions on Sudan, the Sudanese, and neighboring countries will be consequential and dangerous. The tragic state of affairs in Sudan will get worse, and there is no justification for this.
