What to know about the emerging crisis in Sudan

Heavy fighting continued in Sudan for a sixth day on Friday, even as both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a brief three-day truce for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

More than 400 people have been killed and over 3,500 have been injured since fighting broke out last Saturday in the capital city of Khartoum and other sites across the country, according to the World Health Organization.

Here’s what to know about the conflict:

Who’s fighting who

After months of rising tensions, clashes erupted last weekend between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary group RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Al-Burhan became the de-facto head of state of Sudan in 2019 while serving as leader of a joint civilian-military transitionary government in the wake of the popular uprising that toppled longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir.

Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, became al-Burhan’s deputy in the new government. His RSF paramilitary group was formed out of the Janjaweed militia forces, which previously fought in conflicts in the western region of Darfur on behalf of al-Bashir.

The two jointly overthrew the civilian government in an October 2021 coup. However, disagreements have since arisen over the integration of the RSF into the armed forces and determining the leader of the new joint force.

Al-Burhan and Hemedti signed a preliminary agreement in December that sought to bring about a transition to a civilian government. However, the final signing of the framework has been delayed by the recent fighting.

Fighting continues despite 72-hour truce

After multiple failed ceasefire attempts earlier this week, the Sudanese army and the RSF both agreed to a three-day truce on Friday for Eid al-Fitr.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who spoke with both al-Burhan and Hemedti on Thursday, welcomed the ceasefire announcement on Friday and urged both sides to abide by the temporary pause in fighting.

“The priority for all must be to end the suffering of civilians,” Blinken said in a statement. “I reiterate my call on both sides to pause the fighting to allow civilians to take care of themselves and their families, to permit full and unimpeded humanitarian access, and to enable all civilians, including diplomatic personnel, to reach safety.”

However, fighting appears to have largely continued, according to multiple media reports.

US prepares for possible embassy evacuation

As the conflict persists, the U.S. is preparing for a possible evacuation of embassy personnel from Sudan, with additional troops being moved to a Naval base in nearby Djibouti.

The Pentagon is “moving forward to pre-position some military forces and capabilities nearby just for contingency purposes in case they would be needed for any kind of evacuation,” White House spokesperson John Kirby said.

The preparations come as the State Department announced on Thursday that an American citizen had died amid the outbreak of fighting.

Complicated role of regional powers

Several nearby countries in the Middle East and northern Africa have called on the two sides in the Sudanese conflict to end hostilities. However, concerns remain that some regional powers could begin taking sides.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, which assisted in negotiation efforts alongside the U.S. and U.K. as part of the Quad, have both called for a ceasefire.

“We call on the brothers in Sudan to quickly stop military operations, exercise maximum restraint, avoid escalation, and give priority to the interest of the brotherly Sudanese people by preserving their gains and capabilities, and to return to the framework agreement,” Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan tweeted last Saturday.

However, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia previously developed close ties with the RSF, after the paramilitary group sent fighters to Yemen.

Egypt, on the other hand, has long backed al-Burhan and sent in warplanes and pilots earlier this week to assist the Sudanese military, according to The Wall Street Journal.

A Libyan militia leader, Khalifa Haftar, reportedly has also sent at least one plane to provide military supplies to the RSF, the Journal reported.