| On April 15, fighting broke out in Sudan’s capital between the country’s two biggest armed groups, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamad Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo. The two generals were allies during former President Omar al-Bashir’s rule and rose to power after staging a military coup in 2021 to topple the transitional civilian government that was put in place following pro-democracy protests in 2019. The armed power struggle between the two generals has turned Khartoum and other areas of the country into war zones and created a humanitarian crisis, with more than a thousand killed and almost one million displaced, as civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.
As Sudan marks one month of warfare, Arab Center Washington DC is convening a panel of experts to discuss these recent developments and their humanitarian impact, the potential for the recent Saudi-US brokered ceasefire agreement to hold, and the prospects for a peaceful and democratic transition. Panelists will discuss the motivations of the two generals, the severe hardships Sudanese civilians and those fleeing the violence are facing, the failures of multiple ceasefires, the status of peace talks in Saudi Arabia, and the role of regional and global players in the conflict, including Libya’s Khalifa Haftar, the UAE, and the Wagner Group. What are the impacts and implications of the fighting for both Sudan and the region? What are the prospects for an end to the violence? What should be done to protect civilians and ensure access to humanitarian aid? What policy recommendations can be made for the international community and the United States to support Sudan’s democratic process and prevent another period of authoritarian rule by military elites?
To learn more about the webinar, please visit our website |
