Sudan’s military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, is now engaged in open fighting with the country’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, over control of the resource-rich country. The two sides joined together in October 2021 ousting dictator Omar al-Bashir, but have been unable to negotiate how the two groups would be integrated and who would hold power. While the military controls most of the country’s economy, the RSF controls gold mines which help fund the group. Since fighting began over the weekend, nearly one hundred civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded and trapped, according to AP News. Both Burhan and Dagalo have demanded that the other surrender, but as both groups receive backing from foreign interests, there is mounting pressure for diplomacy to resume.
