Sudan’s army appointed a former rebel leader as the country’s de facto vice president, a sign that armed groups might begin taking sides in a spiraling conflict and complicate efforts to reach a cease-fire.
(Bloomberg) — Sudan’s army appointed a former rebel leader as the country’s de facto vice president, a sign that armed groups might begin taking sides in a spiraling conflict and complicate efforts to reach a cease-fire.
Maliq Agar, the head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North, replaces Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who has led the Rapid Support Forces in a monthlong war against the army. The move formalized the split between the paramilitary leader and his former boss, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Read More: CityLab Daily: Khartoum Learns to Live Alongside the Militia
Dagalo, who is more commonly known as Hemedti, will be relieved “immediately” from his role as vice president of the Sovereignty Council, Sudan’s executive branch and most powerful political body, the council said in a statement.
Although both generals signed an agreement in Saudi Arabia last week to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, fighting has continued to rage, especially in the capital, Khartoum, and the western region of Darfur.
About 1,000 people have died and thousands more have been injured since fighting broke out between the two sides on April 15, after months of rising tensions over how to merge the generals’ armies into a single force. The conflict has forced an estimated 843,000 people to flee their homes, the United Nations Refugee Agency said Friday.
The UN this week said it needed $2.6 billion to implement its humanitarian response plan for as many as 18 million people, or nearly half the population.
Limited Progress
The decision by Burhan came as negotiations among low-ranking representatives from both sides in the conflict continued in Jeddah with the aim of achieving a truce.
The talks have made limited progress and produced few results, said two Western diplomats briefed on the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren’t authorized to comment publicly.
Read More: Conflict Brings Sudan’s Lucrative Official Gold Trade to a Halt
The decision to appoint Agar as vice president marked the first time one of Sudan’s myriad former rebel groups have appeared to take a side in the conflict. One scenario the international community is trying to avoid is the prospect of Sudan’s many armed groups becoming embroiled in the conflict as well.
The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North that Agar leads previously fought against former dictator Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown in 2019 in a popular uprising.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.