RSF Leader Threatens Key Sudanese Port Amidst Escalating Civil Strife
KHARTOUM, Sudan – Behind the solemn walls of strategic decision-making, General Mohamed Dagalo faces an intense dilemma. As the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), he recently hinted that his forces might be compelled to seize the Port of Sudan. This move, looming over the nation’s already disheveled economic tapestry, brings waves of apprehension across Sudan as the civil war unravels, relentlessly affecting the lives of countless innocents.
The outskirts of Khartoum have become a battlefield, resonating with the persistent echoes of conflict. Here, the RSF grapples relentlessly with the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), under the watch of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. And while the ultimate prize remains the presidential palace, new strategic considerations emerge. “Monday marks the anniversary of our creation as the Rapid Support Forces,” declared Gen Dagalo in a chilling social media video, “We shall mark it with an indelible blow to our adversaries.”
Reflecting on history, what motivates a man to wage war on what could be? Sudan’s economic backbone, Port of Sudan, is not just a geographic landmark but a crucial artery of national livelihood. Occupied by Gen al-Burhan and his inner circle, it is a tantalizing target for someone like Dagalo, determined to tip the scales in this tragic contest.
Saturday’s declarations were filled with solemn determination when Dagalo threatened an offensive on cities north of Khartoum, namely Atbara, Shendi, and Dongola. These targets house those labeled by Dagalo as the “criminals”, remnants of support for the deposed Omar Al Bashir, now allied with the army against the RSF.
For those spared by the violence in the northern and eastern stretches of Sudan, this mounting conflict has been a distant storm, rumbling since April 2023 after a prolonged period of uneasy peace broke into open tension. Yet, for a brief moment as the conflict began, the RSF advanced rapidly, clutching the political heart of the nation including the capital’s airport, symbolic governmental strongholds, and several military bastions.
Today, while RSF stands firm in Western Darfur and Kordofan, the Armed Forces continue to enshroud themselves around the capital, where a city and its sprawling sisters—Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman—maintain their steadfast resistance.
In an audacious bid, Dagalo recently expanded his portfolio of power by establishing a parallel governance structure from Nairobi, vowing unswerving defense of the presidential palace. Eye witness accounts have documented the RSF’s encroachment to within a mere whisper—2 kilometers—of the regal edifice, capturing the nearby nexus of urban life represented by complexes like Abraj Al Nilein.
Yet, political analysis has its skeptics. “Dagalo’s maneuvers seemed scattered and without direction,” observed political analyst Osman Al Mirghani, suggesting a certain desperation may lurk beneath Dagalo’s confident surface. In times of strife, such leadership traverses the fragile line between strategy and folly.
The unfortunate cascade of this upheaval leaves millions displaced. This humanitarian crisis enters its third protracted year, a grim reminder of the tumult post Omar al-Bashir’s exit following the watershed civilian uprising of 2019. Amidst this chaos, lawlessness reigns in Khartoum. Senior aide Yasser Al Atta’s recent orders to restore order underscore the gravity as an embattled city government presses security forces back into action.
Even more troubling are reports of misconduct by armed volunteers, reminiscent of the uncertainties and fears that plagued Wad Medani. Osman Al Mirghani expresses a poignant sorrow, “Those displaced, who returned hoping for a homecoming, find instead the sharp betrayal of violence.”
International repercussions reverberate as key figures, Gen Dagalo and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, face sanctions from the US amidst mounting allegations of human rights abuses. The international calls for a cessation to hostilities echo starkly against a backdrop of profound human tragedy.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
