By Suleiman Umaru
President Muhammadu Buhari, who had described the war between the Sudan Armed Forces, SAF, and the Rapid support Forces, RRF, para military, as unfortunate appears to have joined other African Leaders to end the two week-old war.The war, according security experts has become a threat to its seven neighbouring countries-Chad, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, Libya and South Sudan, which have faced armed conflict in the recent years.
Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, an Army General and the Chadian Transition Leader had told the Katsina state born Nigerian President in Saudi Arabia during the Ramadam, that urgent steps need to be taken by the African Leaders to contain the Sudan conflict ‘’, noting that if not arrested , will have ‘’serious repercussions on neighbouring countries, that share boundary with it, particular, Chad, which also shares border with Nigeria, the most populous country in the African Continent.
. He may have alluded to the problem of the influx Refugees from the North African country to the neigbouring country and which will in turn affect other African countries. The Chadian Leader may have known the implications of the Sudanese Refugees to his country and which may also turn to a problem to Nigeria that the country had closed its borders with the war torn country and reinforced security in response to the intractable crisis The Nigerian President may have known that the Sudan war will cause Refugees problem in the African Continent.
This may have informed why he has ordered the Army and other security agencies Chiefs to mobilise their men to tighten up security between Nigerian and Chad, in the lake Chad Basisn and other member countries of the Lake Chad Basin too forestall the influx of the Sudan refugees into the country. The Army, Chief ,Lt. Gen. Farouk Yah ayaya, may have key into the Presidential directive as more Troops were said to have deployed to the Lake Chad Basin in the recent time to control the movement of people, goods and services, across border.
.The United Nations UN, Refugee Agency had said that no fewer than 20,000 Sudanese Refugees have entered into Chad since the war broke out in the country. Laura Locatro, Representative of the UN’S High Commissioner for Refugees in Chad had said that most of the Refugees were women and Children. The Refugee claimed that this is the third time they have fled their country and may not want to return to Sudan again.
The Chadian government major worries was that the Sudan crisis may spill across border to where the refugees live in the country speaks volume. Gen. Itno. Head of the country’s Transition Council may have spill the bean when he revealed that the Arab militias, better known as Ijaweed, which metamorphosed into the RSF, had at one time or the other raided the Darfur refugees and Chadian villages, seizing livestock and killing those who resisted.
He was said to have likened their style of operations to that of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, in the north eastern states of Borno , Yobe and the Bandits group, operating in the north western states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina, home state of Buhari, including the north central stat of Niger.
The Chadian Army General, may have given the Nigerian government a cause for concern when he said that the country army, rhas ‘’disarmed a contingent of 320 para-military forces that had entered the country on Monday, April 17, 2023’’.
He fears that the Sudan crisis may be internalized as the Mercenaries working for the Russia’s Wagner group in the neigbhouring central African country of , Central African Country, have close ties with the RSF and could back the Chadia Rbels and even infliterate the ranks of BokoHaram and ISWAP, in Nigeria.
As a prelude to the Sudan war, there have been internal rivalry between Generals Abdel-al Burhan, the Head of the country’s Ruling Council, SRC, and Commander of the country’s fragmented Army the and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, believed to be a very wealthy man and who was a one-time militia Leader in Sudan .
The worry of many was that the duo, were the key actors in the country’s ruling Council. Dagalo, better known in military circles as Hemedti, was said to be Gen. Burhan’s Deputy in the ruling Council that take make the major day to day decisions of the country and make political appointments.
The two Army Generals, according to political Observers may have hated each other’s guts from the time of the formation of the country’s ruling Council. The tension came to a head on Saturday, April 15, 2023, and which may have derailed an internationally backed plan for a transition to a democratically elected government after the removal of Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
The two warring Army Generals were said to have previously worked together in toppling the Al-Bashir infamous regime and orchestrating a military coup in October 2021 that removed Abdalla Hamdok, the Civilian Prime minister and his Cabinet. The SAF, RSF and the Civilian Political Leaders were said to have agreed to a new framework for a Democratic transition in December, 2021.
However, the questions that was said to have emerged was how the RSF, paramilitary, would be integrated into the SAF, as well as well over who would assume Leadership of the newly consolidated Army. General Burhan, the SAF, Commander was not ready to cede the exalted position to Gen. Dagalo of the RSF, and the RSF, leader , equally was not ready shift ground for the SAF Commander. It was a ding-dung affair. Indeed, Negotiations between the two parties were said to have been stalled as tensions quickly rose leading to the current armed conflict in the country.
Unlike past conflicts between 2001 and 2013, in the North African country, which were, said to have been fought mostly in the remote areas, this time around, the conflict between the two rival Army Generals, which are tearing apart, Kkartoun , the Country’s Capital , are centered around the Presidential Palace, SAF, Headquarters and the Khartoun’s airport, which is the major airport in the country, thus forcing countries to evacuate their citizens from the city.
The Saudi Foreign ministry had said that over 150 of its citizens trapped in he war torn country, including 91 other citizens and 66 nationals from 12 other countries , and India have been evacuated from the country as well.
.There indications that the Arab country have also helped countries like Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, The Philistines, Canada, and Burkina Faso, in evacuating their citizens from Sudan. These countries which citizens were evacuated were said to have been mostly ‘’Diplomats and government officials’’.
The North American country of the United States, US, , on its part, were said to have rescued its diplomatic personnel, stuck in the midst of the Sudan war for more than a week and evacuated from Khartoun, the Capital . The country’s military planes were said to have been used to airlift the Embassy officials.
The SAF and RSF, may not have thwarted he US government efforts to evacuate their diplomatic personnel from Khartoun, the Capital, as they were said to have fully prepared for the rescue operations.
The office of the US, Secretary of State has confirmed that over 100 special operations Troops were involved in the evacuation of the country’s under 100 Embassy officials with six military Transport helicopters. The ministry had said that the country had received support of its allies and other partners, including Djibouti, Ethiopia and Saudia Arbia, which were said to have opened up their air space for the US special Forces to use for the landing and take- off of their aircrafts. This is because, the Khartoun airport, has been shut due to the ongong war in the country.
Given the seriousness of the Sudan war, the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, under the close watch of Mustapha Ahmed, at the instance of Buhari, was said to have set up a Committee ‘’to work towards rescuing Nigerians trapped in the North African country due to the unrest’’.
The NEMA, Director General may have gladdened the heart of Nigerians when he said that the agency is working on all possible options of bringing the stranded Nigerians back home . Abike Dabiri- Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diosora Commission, NIDCOM, had said that the Committee became necessary because of’’ the inability to evacuate Nigerian citizens in the troubled country with regards to airlifting them as all airports and land borders in the country have been closed.
