Frictions between the military forces in Sudan

Dr. Elshafie Khidir Saeid

Sudan may be able to coexist, shortly or for a long period, with the disagreements and conflicts between the political parties or other civil forces. These differences are normal and expected, and they often bring healthy results if they are managed properly. But what is really disturbing and annoying is when the fight for power in these conflicts is prevailing over fulfilling the details of the decent life for the citizens. The economic crisis may not be critically disturbing since there are ways to address it and prevent its exacerbation. However, we must sternly warn that if the economic crisis enters into an economic paralysis and is close to invade the means of living at their lowest levels, then it can explode and the country could quickly descend into the quagmire of chaos and civil war.
What is really worrying and raising great anxiety and tension in the country, it is the continuation and intensification of the frictions, both overt and covert, between the leadership of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces. Thanks God that until this moment these frictions are limited to words and rhetoric, but, as they say, war begins with words. Because of these frictions and the endeavor of each party to get the support from its allies, the political, social, and security polarization and tension, in Sudan have reached a critical and dangerous level that could push the country, very soon, to explode if not addressed and dealt with quickly. Not very much effort needed to conclude that there are forces, inside and outside Sudan, consciously planning to create the appropriate atmosphere and conditions for the realization of these destructive scenarios. As for what is the interest of these forces and what will they benefit from, I think that the first and obvious answer is to halt the train of change and abort the December 2018 revolution.
It is inconceivable that the political and civil forces remain fragmented, which will only result in more crisis and failure. It should be obvious to any politician in Sudan that this is the major cause behind the failure of the previous transitional periods and the continuous spinning of the so called the “Devil Circle” of the dictatorships, uprisings and the fragile democracies, successively follow each other.
A decisive stand must be taken so that the homeland does not fall. It is an imposition and obligation for everybody. We all must admit that the catastrophe is just a stone’s throw away, and that any effort made in favor of this party or that group of allied parties other than in favor of the homeland, is not a winning effort since the biggest loser is the homeland. Efforts should be unified to create a solid bloc for the sake of the democratic transformation and to rescue the country. We have to prevent the transformation of these cries of difference of opinion into cries of war and the attempts to negate the other, and we should stand firmly against all forms and attempts of political-military polarization. This is what all the forces of the revolution must think loudly about, and they should star immediately to devise and implement practical plans to build this broad bloc and front. We extend our hands to everyone who agrees with us in this regard, irrespective of his/her position, his/her starting points, and his/her vision on how to go with the revolution forward, as long as his/her mind is widely open for brave revisions, and as long as the compass of his/her conscience leads him/her against the burning of the homeland.