2024-03-25 19:33:06
Increasing fears of Sudan being divided between the two sides of the fighting
In a surprising move, the Rapid Support Forces announced the establishment of a civil administration for the state of Al-Jazeera in central Sudan, consisting of 31 members, headed by Siddiq Ahmed, after chaos had spread in the densely populated state, since the army withdrew its forces from the Wad Madani base on December 18 (December 2017). The first) was the past, and was controlled by the Rapid Support Forces.
Rapid Support said, in a press statement obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, that what it called the “Civil Founding Council” elected Siddiq Ahmed as head of the civil administration in the state of Al-Jazira, and the election took place amid a large presence of symbols, civil leaders, and civil society organizations in the state.
This step reinforces the fears of many in Sudan that the army and the Rapid Support Forces will share civil and military authority in the country, turning them into areas of influence governed by one of the parties to the conflict, in a scenario similar to some countries in the region.
In addition to the state of Al-Jazira, the “Rapid Support” has complete control over the states of West Darfur, South Darfur, Central Darfur, and East Darfur, but it did not form civilian administrations in those states, but rather assigned the task of administration to its military command in those areas.
Effects of battles on a street in the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al-Jazira State (AFP)
Federal ruling
Immediately after his election, the head of the civil administration in Gezira State held a press conference in the state capital, the city of Wad Madani, in which he pledged to “lay solid foundations for federal rule despite the great challenges,” and asked citizens to return to their homes, denouncing the bombing targeting their homes by army warplanes. .
The “Civil Founding Council” consists of 31 members representing the various localities of the state, chosen through consensus from the “local community,” which is headed by Ahmed Mohamed Al-Bashir, and whose powers include electing the head of the civil administration. The statement said that the new civil administration is working to restore administrative order, protect civilians, and provide basic services in coordination with the Rapid Support Forces that control the state.
The President of the Civil Constituent Assembly saw that what they are doing is a “unique experience,” and he appealed to international organizations to cooperate to achieve the goals of the Civil Administration and the people of Al-Jazira State to cooperate and work to build the state, calling on both sides of the fighting to “take a courageous decision to stop the war.”
Protesters from the Hausa tribe in the city of El Obeid, capital of Kordofan Region (Archive – AFP)
South Kordofan experience
The experience of civil administration that is not affiliated with the central authority is not a new experience in Sudan, which has witnessed several civil wars, as the “Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North Sector”, led by Abdul Aziz Al-Hilu, had done the same thing in the areas of its control in the state of South Kordofan, which it controls. For more than a decade, it has considered it a “liberated area” from the authority of the center in Khartoum, and called it the “Civil Authority of the New Sudan.”
Since the outbreak of war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, voices have been raised warning of the division of Sudan into warring states, despite both sides of the fighting declaring their adherence to a unified Sudan. However, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, had threatened last September to form an authority in the areas controlled by his forces, including the capital, Khartoum, if the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdul Al-Fattah Al-Burhan, a civilian government in the port of Port Sudan, where he took refuge after emerging from a months-long siege in Khartoum. Over the past few days, calls and demands for the formation of a civilian government in Port Sudan have increased by many parties loyal to the army.
Since the coup of October 25, 2021, Sudan has been run by ministers appointed from the civil service, after the failure of the army commander, following his coup against the civilian government led by Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, to form a government, as a result of massive popular pressure rejecting the coup, and the ongoing protests since today. The first is a coup.
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