Someone explain this war to me. What side is Myron Gaines people on? And why are they fighting?
The war been going on since April 2023 when fighting broke out between Sudan's military (SAF) led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti". These two forces had actually worked together to overthrow Sudan's longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and later staged a joint coup in 2021 against the transitional government. But their power-sharing arrangement fell apart over disagreements about integrating the RSF into the regular army and who would ultimately control Sudan.
The conflict has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Over 10 million people have been displaced from their homes (that's about a quarter of Sudan's population), with millions fleeing to neighboring countries like Chad and Egypt. The fighting has been particularly brutal in the capital Khartoum, which used to be home to 6 million people, and in Darfur, where there have been reports of ethnic violence and mass killings reminiscent of the genocide that happened there in the early 2000s. Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians, using sexual violence as a weapon of war, and blocking humanitarian aid.
The war has also become a proxy conflict with different foreign powers backing each side. The SAF (Sudan's military) is primarily supported by Egypt, which has historical ties to Sudan's military establishment and shares concerns about water security along the Nile. The RSF, on the other hand, has received support from the UAE through weapons shipments and financial backing, largely due to the UAE's interest in Sudan's gold trade and ports. Russia's Wagner Group has also been linked to the RSF, having previously worked with them in gold mining operations. Additionally, Saudi Arabia has played a complex role, initially supporting the transitional government but later engaging with both sides.
What makes this especially tragic is that Sudan had real hope for democratic change after Bashir's fall. There was a civilian-led transitional government working toward elections, but the military coup in 2021 derailed that process. Now the country is torn between two military forces fighting for control, while ordinary Sudanese people suffer from food shortages, lack of medical care, and economic collapse. The international community has been trying to broker ceasefires and peace talks, but so far nothing has stuck.
