The Egyptian government has made a clear declaration that it supports the central government in the internal conflict in Sudan that now threatens to become a full scale civil war with serious regional consequences. The country’s Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, are now in open revolt against the central government.
Speaking at a special ministerial meeting of the African Union (AU) on the situation in Sudan on April 20, Egypt’s foreign minister Sameh Shoukry, while fully supporting the need for a ceasefire in Sudan, “emphasized the necessity of protecting Sudan’s institutions and preventing their collapse and stressed that official state institutions should not be dealt with on an equal footing with non-state entities,” according to a report in the Egyptian government backed Al Ahram News.
Shoukry is thus clearly stating that the Rapid Support Forces should not be put on the same level as the Sudanese army led by its commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the Sovereign Council, which serves as the current government. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is formally Al Burhan’s deputy in the council, but openly revolted over his disagreement on how his RSF should be integrated into the national army. According to an agreement, supported by western powers, it is to take place in two years, while the RSF chief wants it to take place in ten years.
