Sudan: Power Struggle Between Two Generals
The sound of explosions, the sound of bullets
everywhere, the sirens of ambulances running on the streets, the noise of
helicopters in the air, the flights of fighter jets, these are the scenes of
Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, which has been engulfed in civil war for
several days. Several sieges were fired and broken. 500 deaths have been
confirmed. However, according to independent sources, the number is much
higher. Many bodies could not reach the hospital.
Frightened citizens are running here and there in
search of shelter, let's say that the dance of fire and blood is going on
everywhere in this African capital. The recent civil war has already worsened
the plight of the people with poverty, hunger and unemployment, but the
occupying rulers do not care, they are engrossed in their power struggle. All
they have in front of them is power, even if it is one of the poorest countries
in the world. This civil war is happening between two such generals of Sudan,
who until yesterday were best and very close friends. And the head of the army, General Abdul Fattah
al-Burhan, and the head of the paramilitary force, General Hamidati, whose real
name is Muhammad Hamdan Daqloo, both worked together to crush the rebels in
Darfur, and Hamidati was also the deputy army chief until a few days ago.
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Both of them took joint action and dismissed the
civil government and established "Soran Council" headed by
General Burhan. The purpose of this council was said to be to run day to day
affairs and make arrangements for elections. It was a hybrid government that
was driven by civil and military influences. Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdoq was
its civil head. Prime Minister Hamdoq used to openly criticize the army's
intervention. On which the army relieved him from his official position some
time ago and practically established a military government. A month ago, there
were signs that the people of Sudan and the world started to understand that
General Burhan's patience to fully occupy the power was running out. They want
to bring in a powerful government which they say can take Pakistan out of
trouble and obviously they consider themselves worthy of it.
Differences arose between the two fellow generals
Burhan and Hamidati on the same issue. And the armed conflict started which
made many areas including Khartoum a battlefield. The whole world, especially
Sudan's African and Arab neighbors, expressed serious concern over this civil
war. Prime Minister Hamdoq had made aid agreements with various international
organizations after two years of efforts. All countries, including Pakistan,
have evacuated their citizens and diplomatic staff from Khartoum. Saudi Arabia
and the US brokered a ceasefire under very difficult circumstances, but it is
hard to say how long it will last.
Sudan is located in North East Africa and borders
the former part of South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia and the Red Sea. The
population of Sultan is about 47.5 million people. It remained a British
colony, so to speak, under the rule of the Sultan of Egypt. When General Najib
led a military revolution that overthrew the Sultan of Egypt, he played an
important role in liberating Sudan. Najib also had family ties to Egypt and
spent his youth there.
After independence in 1952, there was a civil
government in Sudan for some time, then General Nimiri overthrew the throne and
established a military government. This series of military governments
continues till today. The last president, General Omar al-Bashir, seized power
in 1989 and after 30 years in power, was ousted by violent protests. Since
then, the country has been plagued by instability and protests. A civilian
prime minister came in the interim, but he soon left. After which General
Burhan Soran continued to run the government affairs through the
Council.
In which
General Hameed Ki acts as his deputy. General Burhan suddenly declared a military
government under his leadership. Thus, there was a disagreement between the two
and the civil war started. Before that, the sultanate was split into two parts
in the civil war of 2011 and the country was divided into South Sudan and
Sudan. Sudan has been a major oil producer. However, after the independence of
South Sudan, 75% of its oil fields remained in South Sudan.
Therefore, the economy of Sudan is currently under severe pressure. This
country is also famous for gold and other minerals. But it is mainly an
agricultural country. The economy has stalled due to protests and political
instability. Scenes of hunger and poverty are common. Today it is considered
among the poorest countries in the world despite the fact that it has oil and
gold.
The GDP has fallen from 8.4% to 2.5% and it is
not difficult to predict what will happen after the civil war. Inflation is 129
percent, while the unemployment rate is above 16 percent. Sudden working force
comprises fifty percent of the population, but it could not be employed.
Interim Prime Minister Hamdoq had approved aid
packages from the United States, the World Bank and the African Union for the
recovery of the devastated economy, which became frozen as soon as the civil
war started. Given this economic situation, the ongoing public protests against
the military regimes are not a surprise to anyone. Sudan is among the countries
that the IMF and other international financial institutions said in their
report that they will suffer from political crisis and instability due to
economic crisis.
The military rule in Sudan is no surprise as this
country has been under torture for most of the dictatorships. The recent civil
war also shows the lust for military power. The lust for power of the military
chief General Burhan and his deputy General Hamidati has plunged the entire
country into the flames of war. And the crumbling economy added fuel to the
fire, the result of the worst governance of yet another military dictator, who
continued his rule for thirty years and cost the nation dearly. Former
President General Omar al-Bashir is facing trial at the International Court of
Justice for alleged war crimes in Darfur. During his reign, the country
prospered. An interesting story has also been added to the civil war. Which is
related to gold mining.
We have already mentioned that Sudan has mineral
reserves. And he is an exporter of gold. Countries like United Arab Emirates
are its buyers. In 2017, President Omar al-Bashir signed several agreements
with the Russian government during his visit to Moscow, one of which was
related to the establishment of a Russian base in Sudan, while the other was a
gold mine in Sudan with a Russian company. It was related to Kanye's
permission.
The US Treasury Department said that the R of this
agreement is to provide opportunities for action to Russia's VIGS group. VIGS
Group is a private military company in Russia, commonly known as a mercenary
force. This group is participating in a ground war with the Russian army in
Ukraine. The Wags group denied any involvement in Sudan and found no evidence
of interference.
This group is facing sanctions from the United
States and the European Union. Various myths and conspiracies are common these
days, telling how Russia and the US are vying for control of Sudan's gold
reserves.
These seem to be the same kind of myths that have
been spread from time to time about Pakistan's natural resources and gold mines
in Afghanistan. And this usually happened during the period of military rulers.
So that the common people are intoxicated in the dreams of possible prosperity
coming from them and always keep saying that the country is rich in natural
resources but no one is extracting them, conspiracies are taking place.
No one thinks that these people have to extract and
use these reserves. After all, Arab countries have also become rich by
extracting oil from foreign companies. However, in this statement, it is a
discouragement to develop by working hard.
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