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With the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, armed groups initially declared their commitment to the principle of “neutrality,” but the situation quickly changed.

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About two weeks after the fighting broke out in mid-April 2023, the four main Darfur armed groups (Sudan Liberation Movement, Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council, Justice and Equality, Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance) formed a joint force to protect civilians in the region, secure access to humanitarian aid, and protect important institutions in Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur.

On November 16, 2023, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Mini Arko Minawi, the leader of Justice and Equality, Gibril Ibrahim, and the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement (split from the Sudan Liberation Army Movement), Mustafa Tambour, announced that they were abandoning “neutrality” and siding with the Sudanese army. They were preceded by Malik Agar, the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

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Justification for the Move

These leaders justified their decision to side with the Sudanese army and fight alongside them due to what they described as violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces against civilians in the cities and residential areas.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council, El-Hadi Idriss, and the leader of the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance, Taher Hager, chose to join the movement calling for an end to the fighting, refusing to align with either side in the conflict. As a result, the President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, issued a decision removing them from their positions in the Sovereign Council.

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Military sources said that forces from Justice and Equality, led by Gibril Ibrahim, and from the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Mustafa Tambour, recently participated in battles in old Omdurman and in eastern Sudan on the border with the Al-Jazeera State, which was brought under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.

According to the sources, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, Mini Arko Minawi, had previously led a large force from the Nile River State in the north to the “Wadi Sidna” military area in Omdurman, north of the capital Khartoum, and announced participation in the war.

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Military sources also confirmed that Mini Arko Minawi has the largest number of troops and advanced military equipment, with an estimated 30,000 soldiers, most of whom are stationed in North Darfur.

According to the sources, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Army Movement, Abdel Wahid Mohamed Nour, remained “neutral,” and the liberated areas under his control in the “Jebel Marra” region of Central Darfur became a haven for displaced people fleeing the horrors of war in the city of Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur.

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Diverging Positions

Due to the differing positions within the armed groups after the war in Darfur, the “joint force” ceased its protection and aid security missions, which negatively impacted the humanitarian situation in the region. Darfur has suffered from severe food shortages, which have led to famine in many displacement camps.

The joint force includes several armed groups, including Justice and Equality led by Gibril Ibrahim and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Mini Arko Minawi.

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Military sources said that the war has caused deep divisions within the armed movements, including the Justice and Equality Movement, which split into two factions. One is led by Jibril Ibrahim, while the other is headed by Suleiman Sandal, whose position seems closer to the Rapid Support Forces, advocating for the cessation of the war and the establishment of peace.

The forces of Hadi Idriss are also facing, according to military sources, significant disagreements and internal splits. A group led by Salah Rassas went to meet with the President of the Sovereign Council, Army Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, to express their support for the armed forces and called for Idriss’s removal from the leadership of the movement. Idriss has recently become a member of the Transitional Sovereign Council.

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Eastern Sudan Movements

Last October, the “Eastern Orta” Forces, led by General Amin Dawood, announced their deployment in the eastern region of Sudan following technical consultations with the Sudanese army, a move observers saw as prolonging the war.

The Eastern Orta Forces began their military training last year in a neighboring country and underwent advanced military training.

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The Eastern Orta Forces, led by General Amin Dawood, were formed after the outbreak of the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in mid-April 2023.

Four armed groups linked to the National Congress Party (Sudan’s former ruling party) are based abroad and are working to stir tensions in eastern Sudan.

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These armed groups include the Eastern Orta Forces led by Amin Dawood, the East Sudan Liberation Movement led by Ibrahim Dunia, the Forces of the National Movement for Justice and Development led by Mohamed Taher Suleiman Betai, the Beja Congress led by Moussa Mohamed Ahmed, and the Beja Congress/Armed Struggle Forces led by General Cheba Derrar.

A youth movement, consisting of members from the “Beja” tribe, deeply rooted in eastern Sudan, has called for the expulsion of armed groups allied with the army from the region.

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In a statement, the movement, which calls itself the “Free Beja Youth Stream,” stated that “the presence of armed groups coming from outside the region poses an imminent threat, not only to security but to our social fabric.”

The youth movement has threatened to completely close the region’s borders until the armed groups leave, considering it a necessary and obligatory step for the well-being of the region and its people.

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It is worth noting that members of the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Mini Arko Minawi, the Justice and Equality Movement led by Jibril Ibrahim, and the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Mustafa Tambour, signatories of the Juba Peace Agreement with the Sudanese government in October 2020, are also active in eastern Sudan after declaring their allegiance to the Sudanese army and engaging in the combat fields.

The United Nations states that Sudan, which was one of the poorest countries in the world before the war, is witnessing “one of the worst displacement crises in the world, and is soon expected to face the worst hunger crisis in the world.”

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Global and international calls are growing to end the war in Sudan to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe that is pushing millions into famine and death due to food shortages caused by the fighting.

Since mid-April 2023, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been at war, a conflict that has claimed around 20,000 lives and left more than 14 million displaced and refugees, according to the UN.

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