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The elite in Khartoum and River Nile regions that have traditionally controlled power in Sudan consider General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo a low life.

Owing to his Darfur background in the south, the northerners think, Hemedti, as he is generally known, is a man who deserves contempt.

Hemedti, is the estranged deputy of the Sudan Transitional Sovereign Council Leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan with whom they engaged in the ongoing deadly war. The two former comrades were protégés of the deposed former Sudan dictator Omar Al-Bashir.

The war is a portent mix of elite and tribal ego fights, appetite for power, resistance by remains of an old order as well as retrogressive mutual suspicions. The two generals had teamed to stage a coup that saw them seize power before they fell out. Al-Burhan, the Sudanese Army chief and Hemedti, have been at war since April 15. Hemedti, commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which is largely the southern-rooted Janjaweed that al Bashir used to check rebellion in the army and fight proxy wars. The two former comrades now call each other “criminals” and have defied UN sanctions to stop the war that has so far claimed more than 1,800 lives and displaced nearly two million people.

The general attitude by Al Burhan axis is that Hemedti and his army are “country bumpkins” unfit to rule the state. On the other hand, Hemedti accuses Al Burhan of a plot to return the Al-Bashir regime and Islamists to power by appointing its members to their former positions.

 There is every indication that given the ongoing standoff, the conflict could escalate and boil over to Sudan’s neighbours. That is why President William Ruto who has been tasked by Igad to mediate the conflict must hit the ground running to stop the escalation that is edging to a civil war.   Ruto is the leader of the Quartet that includes Presidents and Heads of State from South Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti. He has already declared that their aim is to organise a face-to-face meeting between the two warring Generals. There is legitimate concern that the war could lead the collapse of Sudan, with unthinkable consequences to regional peace and stability as well as the fight against terrorism.

 Sudan is the third largest county in Africa and one cannot begin to imagine its strategic importance to its neighbours in the Horn of Africa.

Conflict has been a destabilising force in many African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mali and South Sudan leading to deaths and untold suffering of its citizens.

That is why regional leaders cannot afford to sit on their arms as Sudan goes aflame. It is apparent that it is not going to be a walk in the park for Ruto, and despite the resistance he must be relentless and deploy his energy and new-found diplomatic goodwill in the region to bring the generals to the negotiating table and end the needless war.

Already, Hemedti and his group have rejected the Ruto-led Igad initiative in favour of the one spear-headed by Saudi-and the US. It can be recalled that Hemedti’s power grew massively once he began supplying troops to fight for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

 Sudan government has ruled out talks with Hemedti and also objected to the Igad effort insisting that South Sudan President Salva Kiir should continue brokering the peace talks. Amidst this standoff is continued loss of lives.  A UN agency has sounded an ominous warning that conflict could lead to rapid deterioration in the food security and nutrition situation, with Khartoum and the region of Darfur most affected.

“The conflict in Sudan is sending hunger shockwaves across an already fragile region, as hundreds of thousands of people continue fleeing to neighbouring countries – pushing up already alarming food insecurity and malnutrition levels,” said Rukia Yacoub of the World Food Programme.  The two Gmust sit together and salvage their country. 

— The writer is the Political Editor at People Daily—[email protected]