The truce did not prevent the outbreak of heavy fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces on Friday in Darfur, in the west of the country.
Analysts and Sudanese citizens feared the repercussions of the Sudanese army’s call on the future of the conflict in the coming period, considering it a “double-edged sword”, because on the one hand it contributes to secure citizens and their property, but on the other hand on the other hand, it raises the level of internal violence.
Sudan’s Acting Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Yassin Ibrahim Yassin, said in a statement today: “We make this call and call on all retired members of the armed forces, including officers, -officers, soldiers and all those who are able to bear arms to go to the nearest military command to arm them”.
The statement adds that this step is the result of the RSF’s persistence in “humiliating the symbols of the state, including writers, journalists, judges and doctors, and in capturing, prosecuting and arresting retired regular forces. “.
This appeal comes as the fighting that has erupted since April 15 between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has resulted in the death of more than 1,800 people, according to the non-governmental organization “Aclide”.
On May 20, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces signed an agreement for a short-term ceasefire and humanitarian arrangements in Jeddah.
The expansion of war
For his part, political analyst and editor of the Sudanese newspaper Al-Tayyar, Othman Mirghani, said in statements to “Sky News Arabia” that this decision was first taken by the Sudanese Minister of Defense after his silence since the start of the war, and includes retired armed forces, and “all He has the ability to bear arms.” A phrase that means opening the door to voluntary conscription for all, which means expanding the scope of war.
Regarding the reasons for the decision, Mirghani explained that they include:
The fighting has turned into a “city war without time limits”, as the text of the resolution indicates, which means that the armed forces are trying to assign a tactical role to volunteer forces operating in neighborhoods and streets to deal with the stationing of Rapid Support Forces in neighborhoods and their use of civilians as human shields. This decision can have a certain impact on the course of the fighting if the armed forces manage organized popular resistance operations that prevent the establishment of the RSF within the neighborhoods and homes of citizens. On the other hand, expanding citizen arming can spiral war out of control and turn it into a quintessential civil war project.
Tragic conditions
In turn, Sudanese citizen Hassan Abdel Raouf, from Khartoum, spoke to “Sky News Arabia” about the current situation in the country and the position of citizens on the army’s call to arms, saying that “the current situation is tragic in every sense of the word.”
Abdel-Raouf pointed to “the deterioration of services at all levels, whether it concerns insecurity, food or medicine”.
He pointed out that the army’s decision to arm citizens and pensioners capable of bearing arms is a “double-edged sword”, but its danger remains greater in a direct confrontation with arms between citizens if they differ politically.
The unrest has forced more than a million Sudanese to flee inside the country, which is ranked among the poorest in the world, while at least 300,000 others have sought refuge in neighboring countries, which are also experiencing crises, according to United Nations data.
The United Nations has confirmed that “more than half of the Sudanese population – 25 million out of a total of 45 million – are now in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance”.
And the US State Department said on Thursday evening that it was still recording “violations” of the ceasefire, notably in Khartoum and Darfur, while the army and Rapid Support exchanged accusations of violation of the armistice.
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