Civil War in Sudan
On the failures of state-building and the daunting challenges ahead for a beleaguered country and its peoples
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I: The worse side is currently winning Sudan’s civil war
After eight months of fighting, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — a paramilitary group that grew out of the Janjaweed’s genocidal rampage in Darfur — started the year with a clear advantage over the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). In particular, the overrun of Wad Madani in December set in motion a new phase in the conflict. The city’s fall reminded everyone in areas still under SAF control of their vulnerability to the RSF’s violence and pillaging. In part to deflect criticism directed at its leadership, the SAF tacitly green-lit a civilianization of the conflict via the creation of “ethnic and communal militias” throughout the country.
The RSF’…