The Conflict in Sudan Enters its 100th Day, Mediation Efforts Again Reach a Stalemate

Screenshot of Sudanese refugee camps in Chad. (Wikimedia Commons/VOA/Henry Wilkins)

JAKARTA - The conflict in Sudan entered its 100th day on Sunday, as mediation efforts by regional and international powers failed to find a way out of an increasingly intractable conflict.

Fighting broke out on April 15 as the Sudanese military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) vied for control. Since then, more than 3 million people have been displaced, including more than 700.000 who fled to neighboring countries.

Some 1.136 people have been killed, according to the health ministry, although officials believe the number is higher.

Neither the army nor the RSF could claim victory, with the RSF's predominance on the ground in the capital Khartoum, which was disproportionate to the army's air and artillery power.

Infrastructure and governance in the capital have been in disarray, while the fighting has spread westward, especially into the fragile Darfur region, as well as southwards, where the SPLM-N rebel group has been trying to gain ground.

Over the weekend, the RSF moved into villages in Gezira State, just south of Khartoum, where soldiers carried out airstrikes against them, according to witnesses.

In Nyala, one of the country's largest cities and the capital of South Darfur, clashes have continued since Thursday in residential areas, according to witnesses. At least 20 people have died, medical sources said. Meanwhile, the UN says 5,000 families have been displaced, and residents report looting of key facilities.

"The bullets are flying into the houses. We are scared and there is no one to protect us," Salah Abdallah said, according to Reuters, July 24.

The fighting gave way to ethnically targeted attacks by Arab and RSF militias in West Darfur, where hundreds of thousands of people fled to Chad.

Residents also accused RSF troops of looting and occupying large areas of the capital. In response, RSF said it would launch an investigation.

Although both warring sides have shown an openness to mediation efforts led by regional and international actors, none has resulted in a sustainable ceasefire.

Both sides have sent delegations to try to restart talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which have resulted in a frequently violated truce.

However, Sudan's Foreign Minister said on Friday, indirect talks had not started seriously.

It is known that the military and RSF leaders headed a joint council since the overthrow of former ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019. However, they differed over the plan for a transition to democracy.

Civilian political groups as well as the RSF accuse the army of turning a blind eye to the emergence of wanted Bashir loyalists in recent days.

Meanwhile the Forces of Freedom and Change, the main civilian coalition, said on Sunday it was holding a meeting in Egypt, which had offered to act as a mediator in the conflict.