Protracted war predicted in Sudan with threat of intervention
Al JazeeraDec 01, 2022
The Facts
Sudan's army on Wednesday stated that the country's deposed former Pres. Omar al-Bashir is being held in Aliaa military hospital under police custody. This comes amid rumors about his whereabouts after thousands of inmates escaped from the Kober prison, where he has been detained since 2019, over the weekend.
He was reportedly transferred to the hospital in the capital, Khartoum, along with some 30 other prisoners, after fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out.
The Spin
Narrative A
The RSF has wreaked havoc in Sudan since unjustifiably deploying its forces to Khartoum and other parts of the country, which has been going through a decisive moment to establish a civilian-led transitional government. While it's true that the paramilitary group has become a state within a state, this crisis has ultimately been fueled by elements of the former al-Bashir regime that are willing to drag Sudan into civil war in the hope of returning to power.
Narrative B
While the RSF has stood by the masses of the Sudanese people, the coup leaders of the Armed Forces have long planned to drag the country into a civil war to create security justifications to release officials of the former regime. It was clear from day one of the fighting that they were treacherously advancing their rogue agenda to restore the regime of oppression, extremism, and terrorism that harmed the nation.