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Uncertainty reigns in Sudan, as an American envoy is expected in Khartoum to try to defuse the stalemate between military leaders and the opposition. At the same time, a dreaded paramilitary group accused of war crimes in Darfur is wreaking havoc in the capital.
The civil disobedience campaign in Sudan ended Tuesday night and Mahmood Driir, the Ethiopian mediator, announced that talks will resume soon between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the leaders of the demonstration. Driir added that the TMC, which had deposed former president Omar Al Bashir on April 11, had agreed to release political prisoners.
The talks broke down following the June 3 military crackdown in Khartoum, which killed more than 120 people, according to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors. Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Janjaweed militia are believed to be responsible for the abuses that followed against civilians.
"RSF and the Janjaweed are the same. The Janjaweed are a terminology we use to describe pro-government paramilitary militias largely recruited from the same communities in Darfur ", explains Jehanne Henry, badociate director of the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch.
RSF is a "formalized group" created in 2013 and headed by Deputy Chief of the TMC, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, nicknamed Hemedti.
He is a former Janjawid commander who fought in Darfur. The Sudanese government, led by Omar Al Bashir, recruited, equipped, and trained militias known as the Janjaweed in 2003. The government used Janjaweed militias to fight alongside the army in its counterattack campaign. insurgency in Darfur.
Darfur tactics in Khartoum
Henry says that there is no doubt that Hemedti ordered the June 3 attacks on civilians.
"The tactics used by KRS in Khartoum against the protesters remind us of the tactics that they used in Darfur. They burned the tents, fired on the crowd and killed people.
"And we are now receiving very disturbing reports of badual violence, and badual violence has been one of the hallmarks of the Darfur campaign," Henry said.
Sébastien NémethThe RFI correspondent for East Africa interviewed several civilians in Khartoum who described arbitrary killings and other abuses perpetrated by RSF.
Bashir Nouri is one of them. Audai, his 14 year old son, was killed last week by RSF while he was crossing a road.
"My son was shot in the chest … I do not know what hit him, but it must have been a big weapon because his guts had spread on the floor. And he was not hit by a stray bullet. He was very clearly targeted. Then I saw RSF talking and joking as if nothing had happened, "recalls Nouri.
He told RFI that he had taken legal action against both the Transitional Military Council and the Civil Coalition, believing that they also bore some responsibility in allowing the situation to deteriorate. to achieve such levels of violence.
Henry thinks that the chances of hearing Nouri's case are slim.
"In 2013, the government cracked down on protesters in Khartoum very violently, killing nearly 200 people at the time. And none of these cases resulted in lawsuits against those responsible, "Henry said.
The rapid rise of Hemedti at the top
The rapid rise of Hemedti from the Janjawid commander in Darfur to a key position within the ruling elite in Khartoum would prompt RSF to brutally attack civilians, particularly in Darfur.
"We have seen Hemedti and RSF take on all sorts of tasks in the last few years," says Henry. "Including the ban on migrants near borders. Hemedti is publicly touted to badist the European Union in managing the migration crisis in Sudan. "
Hemedti showed that he was a fit politician, but Western countries might reconsider their badessment after the events of June 3.
Rich supporters in the Gulf
In April, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced $ 3 billion in aid to Sudan. Then, in late May, the head of the TMC, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy Hemedti visited Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.
Shortly after, June 3, the break-up of the sit-in and the beginning of violence against unarmed civilians.
"It seems like they've received some kind of coverage from their allies in the Gulf and that they feel they can do what they want," Henry says.
"It has been reported that US officials have called Gulf officials to put pressure on the TMC so that it puts an end to the abuses."
International leverage
Tibor Nagy, US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, is due to travel to Khartoum to facilitate discussions between the TMC and the leaders of the event.
The State Department said it would call for "the cessation of attacks against civilians".
Nagy met with UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash, who said the region would advocate for a transition agreement.
The United Nations Human Rights Office and the African Union intend to send a surveillance team to Sudan.
"As always in Sudan, you have many different actors: Western countries, various international agencies, the African Union, the Middle East region and North Africa. All of these different states have different interests in Sudan and exert different types of influence, "Henry explains.
She added that the United States should use its influence more strongly. But does Washington have a leverage effect on Sudan? Yes, Henry answers.
"I think the United States has more weight than it sometimes likes to admit, but it depends on their priorities."
Climate of intimidation
An onion seller interviewed by RFI's Sébastien Németh told him that he wanted Khartoum to get rid of RSF when he suddenly changed his tone after someone said that it was better to pay attention to what he said he did not want any problems.
Henry is not surprised by this atmosphere of intimidation and censorship.
"The Sudanese National Security Agency is a very large and draconian institution that has been gathering and holding people for years and years," she added.
"People are scared and the closure of the Internet is contributing because there is no safe way to communicate with the outside world. They just do not know what's going to happen.
Follow Jehanne Henry on Twitter @jehannehenry
Follow Zeenat Hansrod on Twitter @zxnt
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