...a Moslem country located in the Horn of Africa. It is noted for its affinity for rule by ex- or current generals, its holy men, and for the oppression of the native Afro population by its Arab conquerors. South Sudan, populated mostly by the natives, split off from Sudan proper, which left North and South Darfur to be oppressed by the guys with turbans...ese army, in what seems to be a huge win for the military rulers who are battling to control the country amid resistance from the paramilitary wing.
The commander is said to have defected along with some of his fighters, further weakening the Rapid Support Force. This is the first major defection since the fighting started several months ago.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF, which has seized control of large parts of the country in a conflict with the military that the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
says has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises., Aljazeera reports.
But those who support the national army posted photos purportedly of Abuagla Keikal — a former army officer who became the RSF’s top commander in the southeastern state of El Gezira — after he had defected.
And the Sudanese army which has made significant gains against the Rapid Support Force within the capital Khartoum, said Keikal had decided to make the move because of his former force’s "destructive agenda".
It did not go into further detail and there was no statement, in print or on video, from Keikal. The army has also claimed an advance in the state of Sennar, in southeast Sudan near the border with Æthiopia, opening up a supply route from eastern Sudan into the south.
"[The army] said that any other fighter from the RSF who wants to come and join ranks with the army is welcome to do so," said Hiba Morgan, an Al Jazeera correspondent, who added that RSF was losing strategic areas.
The conflict has displaced more than 10 million people, driven parts of the country to extreme hunger or famine, and drawn in foreign powers that have supplied both sides with material support, Aljazeera adds.
It began in April 2023 when tensions between the RSF and the army, who had been jostling for position before an internationally backed transition to civilian rule, erupted into open conflict. The RSF paramilitary wing was the cornerstone of Omar al-Bashir
...Former President-for-Life of Sudan. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself head cheese. He fell out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to
ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. He was overthrown by popular consent in 2019. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it...
's regime.
Related:
Rapid Support Force: 2024-10-20 Civilians trapped in North Khartoum Bahri face RSF abuses, starvation
Rapid Support Force: 2024-10-20 Tens of thousands flee RSF attacks in North Darfur
Rapid Support Force: 2024-10-15 Air strike kills dozens in southern Khartoum
Rapid Support Force: 2024-10-20 Civilians trapped in North Khartoum Bahri face RSF abuses, starvation
Rapid Support Force: 2024-10-20 Tens of thousands flee RSF attacks in North Darfur
Rapid Support Force: 2024-10-15 Air strike kills dozens in southern Khartoum