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In Sudan, a Standoff Between the Army and Paramilitary Forces Risks Renewed Violence

Apr 14, 2023 | 18:04 GMT

Members of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group are seen in a desert area about 100 kilometers north of Khartoum on Sept. 25, 2019.

Members of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group are seen in a desert area about 100 kilometers north of Khartoum on Sept. 25, 2019.

(ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images)

In Sudan, troop movements and army warnings indicate heightened tensions that risk escalating into violence and derailing the country's already delayed transition to civilian rule. On April 13, the Sudanese army issued a warning after the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) deployed troops to the capital of Khartoum and the northern town of Merowe. The RSF claims that the deployments are a part of its normal duties to provide ''security and stability and [fight] human trafficking and illegal migration,'' but the army has said that the troop movements occurred without its approval or coordination and represented a ''clear violation of law.'' While the number of RSF troops deployed to Khartoum and Merowe is unclear, one media outlet reported that around 100 military transport vehicles belonging to the RSF were deployed near the city's airport....

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