Latest news with #Burhan
DW
5 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Sudan: RSF forms rival government, deepening fissure – DW – 07/27/2025
A power struggle between two rival generals has effectively split Sudan amid a 27-month civil war that has left some 150,000 people dead. Deepening the crisis in civil war-torn Sudan, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday announced the formation of a rival civilian-led government, raising fears of permanent division in the country. At a press conference in the RSF-controlled city of Nyala in South Darfur, the paramilitary announced a 15-member presidential council with RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, as its president. Rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu, head of the SPLM-N, was named vice president. Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi, a civilian politician, was appointed prime minister. He was a former member of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council from 2019 until the 2021 military coup. New regional governors, including one for Darfur, were also announced. The region now has rival governors from each side. The RSF move stoked fears of escalating Sudan's 27-month civil war as it directly challenges the internationally recognized army-led government, which was formed in May under former United Nations official Kamil Idris but remains incomplete with unfilled Cabinet positions. An agreement in February among paramilitary, rebel, and civilian groups paved the way for the new government looking to establish a secular "New Sudan," the RSF said. International legitimacy will also allow the faction to secure advanced arms imports. The Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has not formally responded but had previously condemned any attempt to create a parallel administration. UN officials warned that the RSF's formation of a parallel government risks further fragmenting Sudan and undermining diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. The conflict began in April 2023 as a power struggle between Burhan and Dagalo, once allies who ousted long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019 before turning on each other in a 2021 coup that derailed Sudan's transition to democracy. The country is now effectively split with the army controlling the north, east, and center, having recently retaken the capital Khartoum, while the RSF holds most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan, where fighting has surged. Meanwhile, Burhan is under US sanctions for the usage of chemical weapons in 2024 against the RSF. Since the war began up to 13 million people have been displaced and large parts of the population are on the brink of famine, according to UN data. Around 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Sudanese coalition led by paramilitary RSF announces parallel government
A Sudanese coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Saturday a parallel government, a move fiercely opposed by the army that could drive the country further towards partition as a two-year-old civil war rages. The government led by RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, was announced west of the country. The RSF and its allies signed in March a transitional constitution outlining a federal, secular state divided into eight regions. The RSF controls much of the west of the country such as the vast Darfur region and some other areas but is being pushed back from central Sudan by the army, which has recently regained control over the capital Khartoum. The military led by career army officer General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had condemned the idea of the RSF creating a parallel government and promised to keep fighting until it controls all of Sudan, which has been plagued by conflicts, coups, poverty and hunger. In February, the RSF and other allied rebel leaders agreed in Kenya to form a government for a 'New Sudan,' aiming to challenge the army-led administration's legitimacy and secure advanced arms imports. Dagalo, a former militia leader and one of Sudan's wealthiest people, known as Hemedti, was hit with sanctions by the US, which accused him of genocide earlier this year. He had previously shared power with Burhan after veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir's ouster in 2019. However, a 2021 coup by the two forces ousted civilian politicians, sparking a war over troop integration during a planned transition to democracy. Burhan was sanctioned in January by the US which accused him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. The ongoing conflict has devastated Sudan, creating an 'unprecedented' humanitarian crisis in the country, with half the population facing spreading hunger and famine, according to the United Nations.
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First Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Sudan closer to partition? Paramilitary RSF announces parallel government, army vows continued fight
A Sudanese coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announced on Saturday a parallel government, a move fiercely opposed by the army that could drive the country further towards partition as a two year old civil war rages. read more A coalition led by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has declared a parallel government, a move strongly opposed by the national army and one that risks deepening the country's divide amid a civil war now in its second year. The parallel administration led by RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti was announced from western Sudan. Back in March, the RSF and its allied factions adopted a transitional constitution that proposes a federal, secular governance model split into eight regions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Currently, the RSF maintains control over large parts of western Sudan, including the Darfur region and other territories. However, it is being driven out of central areas by the military, which has recently regained ground in Khartoum, the capital. The military led by career army officer General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had condemned the idea of the RSF creating a parallel government and promised to keep fighting until it controls all of Sudan, which has been plagued by conflicts, coups, poverty and hunger. In February, the RSF and other allied rebel leaders agreed in Kenya to form a government for a 'New Sudan,' aiming to challenge the army-led administration's legitimacy and secure advanced arms imports. Dagalo, a former militia leader and one of Sudan's wealthiest people, known as Hemedti, was hit with sanctions by the U.S, which accused him of genocide earlier this year. He had previously shared power with Burhan after veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir's ouster in 2019. However, a 2021 coup by the two forces ousted civilian politicians, sparking a war over troop integration during a planned transition to democracy. Burhan was sanctioned in January by the U.S. which accused him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ongoing conflict has devastated Sudan, creating an 'unprecedented' humanitarian crisis in the country, with half the population facing spreading hunger and famine, according to the United Nations. With inputs from agencies
Mada
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Mada
Sudan Nashra: Burhan turns down meeting with Kenyan president, holds indirect Egypt-mediated talks with Haftar RSF rejects Fasher humanitarian truce Kamel Idris appoints 3 new ministers
Over the past week, Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Chair and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made two international visits — first to Seville, Spain, then to Alamein, Egypt. Burhan arrived in Seville on Sunday to attend the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. On the sidelines, he turned down a proposal from external parties to meet with Kenyan President William Ruto, a source in the TSC told Mada Masr. Burhan made it clear that there are currently no discussions to be had with Ruto, after the military discovered Kenyan-made ammunition in a warehouse it had seized from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in western Khartoum in June. In Alamein, Burhan held indirect talks with Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar, mediated by Egypt, in a bid to resolve disputes over the border triangle, which the RSF had seized in June with backing from LNA-affiliated forces. Although the talks yielded no concrete outcomes, negotiations between Sudan and Libya are expected to continue under high-level Egyptian mediation, a diplomatic source told Mada Masr. Domestically, Prime Minister Kamel Idris took another step toward ending the impasse in cabinet formation by appointing three new ministers on Thursday, with more appointments expected in the coming days. Meanwhile, the RSF-led Tasees coalition announced the formation of its leadership body in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo was named head of the coalition, with Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North leader Abdel Aziz al-Hilu appointed as his deputy. The move is seen as a precursor to the formation of the parallel government the RSF first unveiled in its Nairobi conference in February. *** Burhan declines meeting with Kenyan president on sidelines of Conference on Financing for Development in Spain TSC Chair and SAF Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan declined a proposal for a bilateral summit with Kenyan President William Ruto on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in Spain, a source in the TSC told Mada Masr. The proposal, according to the source, was put forward by external parties they did not disclose. Burhan landed in the Spanish city of Seville on Sunday to take part in the conference, where he was received by King Felipe VI of Spain. The event, jointly convened by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, brought together several high-level officials. Burhan was accompanied by Foreign Ministry Acting Undersecretary Hussein al-Amin al-Fadil. According to the TSC source, Burhan made clear to the parties proposing the bilateral summit that there are currently no Sudan-related discussions to be had with Ruto, adding that Kenya must begin to respect the principles of good neighborliness and prioritize the interests of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development's member states during this critical phase. On June 26, Sudan's Foreign Ministry issued a strongly-worded statement condemning what it described as Kenya's continued 'dangerous and irresponsible' interference in Sudanese affairs. The statement warned that such actions pose a serious threat to regional security and stability, as well as to the territorial integrity and institutions of African states. The Sudanese military had found Kenyan-made ammunition in a seized RSF warehouse in the Salha area of western Khartoum last month, the ministry further stated, reiterating its call for Kenya to cease all forms of support for the RSF and reaffirm its commitment to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, in adherence to the UN Charter, the African Union Constitutive Act and the guiding principles of relevant regional bodies. In his address to the conference in Seville, Burhan highlighted the appointment of a civilian prime minister to lead the transitional period, which he described as a significant step toward civilian and democratic stability and a clear expression of national will to rebuild state institutions on inclusive civilian foundations. Burhan said the country has been facing exceptional circumstances since the outbreak of the war in April 2023, but emphasized that the Sudanese people remain strongly committed to engaging constructively with the international community to rebuild their country. *** Haftar denies supporting the RSF during Egypt-mediated talks with Burhan In a bid to resolve an ongoing border dispute that has brought the war in Sudan close to Egypt's borders, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held separate talks with Libyan National Army head Khalifa Haftar and Burhan on Tuesday in Alamein, according to a senior Sudanese Foreign Ministry source. In June, the Sudanese Armed Forces accused forces loyal to the LNA of supporting the RSF in taking control of the border triangle between Libya, Sudan and Egypt, in order to cement a weapons supply line into Darfur after the paramilitary's previous main supply route through Chad had been cut off. After seizing control of the border triangle — a strategic smuggling and trade nexus and an area of national security concern for all three countries — the RSF pushed further along the desert road into Libya, reaching as far as Karb al-Toum, about 450 km from the Northern State's capital, Dongola. Once closer allies, Egypt, which has backed the SAF throughout the war, and the LNA have seen their ties strain. A Libyan source close to the eastern government described Egypt's mediation effort as an attempt to reset its relationship with the leadership of eastern Libya, especially following what he called a 'temporary lull' in coordination caused by diverging positions on the war in Sudan. But the meeting brought little in the way of concrete pledges, as Haftar tried to sidestep his involvement with the RSF, according to the Sudanese Foreign Ministry and the Libyan source. During the meeting with Sisi, Haftar insisted that he had no involvement in RSF activities and reaffirmed Libya's commitment to Sudan's territorial integrity, the Sudanese government source said. He attributed the incursion of the Haftar-aligned Subul al-Salam battalion into the border triangle — seized by the RSF in June — to a pre-planned ambush targeting smugglers. Haftar also emphasized, according to the source, that he would not interfere in Sudanese affairs in any way. As for Burhan, Tuesday's trip to Egypt was made on short notice. Burhan had initially postponed a scheduled visit to Egypt in late May, a senior source in the TSC told Mada Masr. The sudden trip to Alamein came in response to an invitation from Sisi. During his meeting with Egyptian officials, Burhan detailed Sudan's monitoring of military movements in the region, accusing the RSF of exploiting cross-border dynamics on the Libyan front, a Sudanese diplomatic source told Mada Masr. He stressed the military's readiness to respond decisively to threats in the border area. Despite not producing any outcomes, indirect negotiations between Sudan and Libya are expected to continue under high-level Egyptian mediation, the diplomatic source added. Outside the border issue, Burhan and Sisi also discussed avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation, focusing on migration, voluntary return and postwar reconstruction during their meeting on Tuesday, according to a source at the Sudanese Embassy in Cairo. Discussions included the possibility of a joint conference to explore Egypt's role in rebuilding Sudan's infrastructure, with Egyptian companies expected to take part in restoring logistical facilities in Khartoum. The talks also emphasized the need for continued coordination and joint action to safeguard water security and uphold international law in a way that serves the shared interests of all Nile Basin countries. *** Kamel Idris appoints 3 new ministers, more expected over coming days After weeks of delay, Prime Minister Kamel Idris moved again to break the deadlock in forming his cabinet by appointing three new ministers on Thursday, with more appointments expected in the coming days. The latest additions include two Khartoum University professors: Esmat Gurashy Abdallah Mohamed as agriculture and irrigation minister, and Ahmed Mudawy Moussa Mohamed as higher education and scientific research minister. Physician Moez Omar Bakhit al-Awad was appointed health minister. Idris said the selections came after a careful review of each candidate's qualifications and experience. These appointments bring the total number of ministers named so far to five, following Idris's selection of interior and defense ministers last week. A significant number of cabinet positions are expected to be announced over the coming days, though it remains unclear whether the portfolios allocated to the armed movements signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement will be included in the upcoming round. Since taking office in late May, Idris has faced obstacles in his efforts to form a nonpartisan, technocratic government — a key promise of his leadership. During consultations, the armed movements insisted on retaining the ministerial quotas granted to them under the deal. However, a source in the cabinet told Mada Masr that Idris has nearly finalized his cabinet lineup, with consensus reached on more than 15 ministerial posts — excluding those earmarked for the armed movements. *** Tasees coalition appoints Hemedti leader, Abdel Aziz al-Hilu as deputy The RSF-led Tasees coalition announced on Tuesday the formation of a 31-member leadership body from Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State. RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo was named head of the coalition, with Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, appointed as his deputy. The announcement is seen as a precursor to the formation of the parallel government the RSF first unveiled in its Nairobi conference in February. The coalition, comprising armed and political groups aligned with the RSF, emerged from that gathering following the signing of a founding charter and transitional constitutional framework. Speaking at the coalition's inaugural press conference in Nyala, spokesperson Alaa Eddin Nagd described the formation of the leadership body as the result of 'extensive consultations marked by transparency and seriousness,' adding that full consensus had been reached on its composition. But two sources in the coalition told Mada Masr that the delays in announcing the government stemmed from internal disputes over the division of positions and representation across the coalition's various factions. While one senior Tasees official insisted that the new leadership structure was designed to build trust and resolve disputes, one of the sources in the coalition said that the move was a reaction to mounting tensions — not only among coalition members, but also between rival currents within the RSF itself. A third source in Tasees confirmed that rifts have widened inside the RSF, particularly after several military and political figures in Darfur were excluded from key roles. According to the source, those sidelined are considered loyal to RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo — Hemedti's brother — who has been accused by a former adviser to Hemedti of aligning with figures affiliated with the former regime. *** RSF rejects UN-proposed humanitarian ceasefire, escalates attacks on Fasher The RSF rejected a one-week humanitarian ceasefire in the North Darfuri capital of Fasher, proposed last week by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in a phone call with Burhan. While Burhan agreed to the proposal, the RSF dismissed it outright and has since escalated its military offensive on the city. Omran Abdallah, an advisor to Hemedti, told Mada Masr that the proposed truce was intended not to protect civilians but to prolong the war and enable the military's besieged Sixth Infantry Division to regroup and resupply. 'If the concern is civilian suffering, then the entire Sudanese population is suffering because of the war,' he said. Abdallah further claimed that there are no civilians left in Fasher, asserting that safe exit routes were opened following the formation of the RSF-led Tasees coalition. According to him, the RSF facilitated the evacuation of residents by providing transportation, food and water. He said dozens of convoys had left the city recently, and that all areas under RSF control were now free of civilians, with the group solely focused on encircling the Sixth Division. On the ground, RSF attacks on Fasher have escalated. A field source told Mada Masr that artillery shelling on Sunday struck the city's livestock market, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries. On Tuesday, the RSF launched an assault on military defenses and allied forces in the Higra and Thawra neighborhoods south and southeast of the city, another field source said. The attack was repelled after more than three hours of fighting, during which the RSF suffered casualties and was forced to retreat to its original positions, resorting instead to continued shelling of Fasher, according to the source. The following day, a strategic military drone struck a fuel station at the eastern Fasher bus terminal, destroying four RSF combat vehicles, according to the same source. RSF positions in the Garny area, northwest of the city, were also struck by drone attacks. The RSF has maintained a siege on Fasher since early May, launching repeated attacks that have displaced large numbers of civilians and further deteriorated the city's already dire living and health conditions. On Monday, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that 239 children had died in Fasher from January until the end of June due to malnutrition and the critical shortage of food and medicine. The network called upon regional and international organizations to pressure the RSF into accepting and implementing the UN-proposed truce. *** Heavy fighting in Babanusa, West Kordofan The RSF launched a renewed assault on Tuesday on the command of the military's 22nd Infantry Division in Babanusa, West Kordofan, a military source told Mada Masr. Despite receiving reinforcements and additional combat vehicles from the town of Muglad, the RSF attack was repelled, resulting in losses among its fighters and damage to its equipment, according to the source. The military stated that dozens of RSF fighters were killed in Tuesday's battle and that several RSF vehicles and military equipment were either destroyed or seized. This is the latest in a series of RSF offensives on Babanusa and its military camps, which began in mid-June. The 22nd Division has so far succeeded in holding its ground. On Thursday, the RSF stormed the Rawyan area near Khawi, the same military source said. The area was under military control and holds strategic importance for any advance toward the RSF-held cities of Khawi and Nuhud. *** Military nears control of Saderat Road, kills RSF commanders in drone strikes on North Kordofan The military is drawing closer to retaking the strategic Saderat Road in North Kordofan as it escalates operations against RSF positions. On Wednesday, military drones targeted an RSF leadership meeting in the Um Sayala area, a military source told Mada Masr. The strike killed five commanders, including Ahmed Abdel Aal and another commander the source said is linked to Libyan mercenaries fighting alongside the RSF. Al-Lazem Ibrahim al-Lazem, a journalist and former local official, told Mada Masr that the military's approach on the Bara front now relies on precise drone strikes on RSF leadership inside the city, while artillery fire from military positions in Obeid has begun targeting RSF-held areas such as Dankog. Among those recently killed, according to Lazem, are senior RSF commander Ali Mahdi, Bara sector deputy commander Adham Ibrahim Rabeh and special forces commander Abdel Rahim al-Daggaga. According to a former military officer, the coming days could see decisive battles in Bara and northern North Kordofan. The officer said the military has employed a strategy of attrition alongside the buildup of significant ground forces preparing to storm RSF-held areas. Recent airstrikes targeting RSF leadership have fractured the group's internal cohesion, they added, predicting that phased ground operations will be launched in tandem with continued aerial bombardment toward Bara. As the military steps up its operations, a resident of Bara told Mada Masr that on Monday, the RSF attacked the village of Khorsi, east of Bara, expelling students and religious scholars from one of Sudan's oldest Islamic institutes and forcibly displacing the area's residents. Infighting later broke out among RSF fighters over looted property and occupation of homes and buildings — including parts of the historic Khorsi institute — resulting in deaths and injuries within the RSF's ranks, the source said. The Khorsi school, founded over 277 years ago, had never ceased operations, receiving scholars and students from across Sudan and beyond. Most of its religious leaders had already fled the area, the source said, but the RSF forcibly evicted the last two remaining sheikhs and a group of students during the attack this week. *** Chad agrees to host delayed high school exams for Sudanese students Chad has agreed to host the delayed 2024 session of Sudan's secondary school certificate exams for refugee students, Sudanese authorities announced on Tuesday. The exams, which began on June 29, had been suspended in large parts of Darfur and among refugee communities in Chad. In December 2024, Chadian authorities refused to allow roughly 6,000 Sudanese students — many of whom had fled violence in West Darfur and surrounding areas — to take the exams on its territory. Chadian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul informed Sudan's chargé d'affaires in N'Djamena that Chad had reversed its position and agreed to facilitate the process. He called for coordination with Chad's Higher Education Ministry and relevant UN agencies to ensure the exams are administered within the proper timeframe. Darfur Regional Governor Minni Arko Minnawi confirmed on June 24 that the Chadian government would now support the delivery of exams for Sudanese students living in refugee camps and those attending refugee schools inside Chad. Chad currently hosts 1.3 million Sudanese refugees — most of whom are survivors of atrocities committed by the RSF against the Masalit ethnic group in West Darfur. The country also shelters thousands who had fled earlier waves of violence in Darfur since the outbreak of conflict in 2003. Tensions between Sudan and Chad have escalated since the first year of the war, as Khartoum repeatedly accused N'Djamena of allowing United Arab Emirates-sponsored military equipment, weapons and mercenaries to be funneled through the Um Jaras Airport and the Chad-Libya border in support of the RSF. Meanwhile, West Darfur's capital, Geneina, is struggling under the strain of a dramatically expanded population following the arrival of tens of thousands of displaced families in recent months. The office of Tijani Karshoum, head of West Darfur's civil administration, told Mada Masr that the state has received over 48,000 displaced families, including around 21,000 who have settled in Geneina, after fleeing Khartoum and Gezira states. From January until May, as the military moved to retake control of Gezira and Khartoum, tens of thousands of civilians fled to Darfur states — including West Darfur — fearing they would be targeted by the military due to their social ties to the RSF or accusations of collaboration with the group.
Middle East Eye
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Egypt hosts secret talks between Sudan's Burhan and Libya's Haftar in bid to mend ties, sources say
Egypt hosted direct talks between Sudan's army chief and de-facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Libya's eastern commander Khalifa Haftar this week, in a bid to mediate between two allies on opposing sides of Sudan's war, multiple sources told Middle East Eye. Underscoring the sensitive nature of the talks, the Egyptian government released separate photos of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi meeting first the Libyan delegation and then the Sudanese delegation in what appeared to be the same room in the Mediterranean coastal city of el-Alamein. Privately, however, Burhan and Haftar, along with their delegations, held face-to-face talks as part of an effort by Sisi to manage tricky relations between two important partners. Egypt backs both Burhan, who is fighting a brutal war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and Haftar, the commander who controls eastern Libya. According to a Sudanese intelligence source, the meeting between the two leaders did not go well. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Extremely worried by the prospect of Sudan's war spilling over into Egypt and by the disruption of trade in the volatile triangle border region that takes in Libya, Sudan and Egypt, Sisi was hoping to broker a peace deal between Burhan and Haftar. Instead, the Sudanese army chief accused the eastern Libyan commander of smuggling weapons to the RSF, and of working with the United Arab Emirates to assist the paramilitary of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in other ways, the sources said. Haftar, who had one of his sons with him, denied the accusations. Burhan told him that he was not being honest, and that the Sudanese had proof of his involvement. The Sudanese delegation mentioned that Sadeeq Haftar, Khalifa's son, had been in Sudan before the war began in April 2023, and had met with Dagalo, the RSF chief better known as Hemeti. Days after the war began on 15 April, MEE reported that Sadeeq had flown to Khartoum on a private jet and donated $2m to a football club connected to Hemeti, before breaking his fast with the RSF leader at his home in the Sudanese capital. According to the Sudanese intelligence source, the meeting between Burhan and Haftar ended badly, with Sisi also not happy about the conversation. Border trouble Sudan, Libya and Egypt's borders all meet in the vast, lawless, triangle desert region. When fighting between Burhan's army and the RSF first erupted in 2023, Haftar sent military supplies by truck and planes to the RSF. Those supplies tapered off as the RSF turned to a more convenient route through neighbouring Chad. Egypt asks US to pressure Libya's Haftar not to back Turkey maritime deal Read More » More recently, forces in southern Libya loyal to Haftar joined the RSF in attacking border posts controlled by the Sudanese army. The RSF's seizure of the border triangle alarmed Cairo. Now, the Sudanese intelligence source said, the RSF had taken over Maaten al-Sarra airbase in the Kufra district of southern Libya. This base is integral to the supply of weapons to the paramilitary in Sudan and to the export of gold out of the country from the mines of Darfur, which are owned and controlled by the Dagalo family. Egyptian officials have blamed Haftar's youngest son, Saddam, for the raid in the triangle region. Saddam serves as chief of staff in his father's army and controls militias, including Islamists, in southern Libya. He is increasingly seen as the successor to his 81-year-old father and has been courting support in Washington and Ankara. An Egyptian analyst, who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive subject, told MEE that "the problem is the relationship between Saddam Haftar and the RSF. Khalifa is losing power as he gets older, and this power is now divided up among his three sons." "Egypt has a hold on the relationship with Sadeeq Haftar internally and inside Libya," the source said, "but not the other two sons, Saddam and Khaled, who run the Islamist groups that work with the RSF on the border." According to the sources, both Saddam and Khaled Haftar attended the meeting with Sisi. Egypt's director of general intelligence service, Major-General Hassan Rashad, was also at the talks. Egypt, Libya, Sudan Egypt has played an outsized role in Libya since the Nato-led ousting of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country descended into civil war, which became a proxy conflict with Russia, the UAE, Egypt and France backing Haftar and Turkey supporting a rival government in western Libya. RSF advance on Libyan border marks new phase in spread of Sudan's war Read More » Like in Libya, Sudan's ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown in 2019, having taken power in 1989. Four years later, fighting broke out between Burhan's army and the RSF, a paramilitary once loyal to Bashir and allied to the army. Egypt supports Burhan and his army, though this support is, for the most part, just logistical. At the onset of the conflict, Egyptian pilots flew planes supporting Sudanese army operations against the RSF. The longstanding relations between Egypt and Sudan's armies and its support for Burhan in Sudan's ongoing war have been a problem for relations between Cairo and its powerful Gulf ally, the UAE, which is the RSF's main patron. External monitors have documented military shipments emanating from the UAE to the RSF. Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab recently reported that Chinese-made drones 'consistent with FH-95s' bought by the UAE had been flown into RSF-controlled Darfur. In May, Amnesty International found that the UAE, which continues to deny supporting the RSF, was sending Chinese-made weaponry, including GB50A guided bombs and 155mm AH-4 howitzers, into Darfur despite an ongoing UN arms embargo. Gold continues to flow out of the Dagalo family's lucrative gold mines in Darfur, with Hemeti stashing much of his wealth in Dubai. Some of the gold also finds its way to Russia, which is continuing to play both sides in Sudan's war - the Russian government offers support to Burhan's army while the Africa Corps, the successor to the Wagner Group, continues its partnership with the RSF. Sudan and Libya underscore the convoluted web of alliances and counter-alliances that have come to define the region since leaders like Gaddafi and later Bashir were removed from power. The old ideological faultiness that emerged in the post-2011 Arab Spring era have become murkier. Egypt and the UAE both supported Haftar in 2019 in his bid to conquer Tripoli, the seat of Libya's internationally recognised government. At the time, the RSF sent fighters to bolster Haftar's ranks. Haftar still enjoys support from the UAE, but Saddam Haftar has been courting Qatar and Turkey more recently - two of the UAE's traditional foes. Likewise, cash-strapped Egypt has received billions of dollars in investments from the UAE and continues to back Haftar, but is opposed to the RSF.
