As battles between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces escalate and spread to new regions in central and western Sudan, political forces are sounding the alarm about the conflict turning into a full-scale war that could fragment Sudan into multiple entities.
The city of Babanusa in West Kordofan has been witnessing fierce fighting since Tuesday, as the Rapid Support Forces attempt to penetrate the city following their control over the nearby Al-Muglad.
Meanwhile, the warring factions continue to exchange artillery fire in the cities of Al-Daein and Al-Fashir in the Darfur region, with violence against civilians persisting in the states of Al Jazirah, Sennar, and the capital, Khartoum.
The Sudanese Congress Party has condemned the expansion of military operations across various Sudanese towns and villages, criticizing the spread of the Rapid Support Forces and the ongoing aerial bombardments.
The party has called on all parties involved in the Sudanese conflict to exercise reason, adhere to their commitments to protect civilians, cease military escalation, and reach a ceasefire agreement that paves the way for a comprehensive political process that excludes only the National Congress Party and the Islamic Movement and their affiliates.
It emphasized the need for the political process to lead to a permanent solution to the causes of the war and the resumption of the country’s transition to civilian democratic rule under the leadership of a purely civilian authority.
The priority for the civilian authority, the party noted, should be the re-establishment of the Sudanese state, addressing structural imbalances, and historical grievances associated with its inception and formation.
The party urged all democratic civil forces to enhance unity efforts and rise above minor issues, pointing to the escalating complexities of the humanitarian and military situation in the country.
It warned that prolonging the war could further risk tearing the country apart, with the real cost borne by innocent civilians both inside and outside Sudan, stressing that “the only way out of the country’s predicament is through a peaceful negotiation process in which democratic civil forces must play a cornerstone role.”
It highlighted the high cost of continued fighting in the country, noting that the war that began on April 15 last year is now entering its tenth month, leaving thousands of unarmed civilians dead, displacing more than seven million people—representing the highest rate of increase in internal displacement globally—along with over one and a half million refugees in neighboring countries, and half of the Sudanese population suffering from severe food shortages and in urgent need of humanitarian aid, according to United Nations reports.
The party stated, “The two sides of the senseless armed conflict continue to expand its scale and scope, with violent clashes erupting in Babanusa in West Kordofan State after the Rapid Support Forces launched an attack on it and other areas in Sennar and South Kordofan states.”
It added, “The armed forces’ aircraft bombed the city of Al-Daein, the capital of East Darfur State, with explosive barrels and in Babanusa, and continued its repeated bombing of civilian targets in Wad Madani and other areas of Al Jazirah State.
At the same time, looting and plundering continue in areas under the control of the Rapid Support Forces, and campaigns of assault on innocent civilians continue in areas under the control of the armed forces.”
