Bloody Conflict
Power struggle in Sudan: de facto president dismisses rival vice president
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, ruler in Sudan
© Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service / TASS / Imago Images
A year-long conflict has been brewing between the de facto president and his deputy in Sudan. The dispute escalated in April and the country plunged into a serious crisis. The vice president has now been fired.
More than a month after heavy fighting broke out in Sudan, ruler Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dismissed his opponent Mohammed Hamdan Daglo as vice president. Al-Burhan issued a constitutional decree on this, as the governing council announced on Friday. The long-simmering power struggle between Al-Burhan and Daglo, who controls a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, escalated in mid-April and plunged Sudan into a serious crisis. Previously, the leaders of the country’s two most powerful military organizations had ruled together in a partnership of convenience.
The Sovereignty Council, chaired by Al-Burhan, has held power in the northeast African country since the fall of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019. As chairman of the council, Al-Burhan is the de facto president of Sudan and supreme commander of the army. Daglo has been his vice so far. For the time being, however, the dismissal will not have any direct impact on the fighting.
In addition to the capital Khartoum, there is heavy fighting, particularly in the Darfur region. According to the Sudan Medical Committee, at least 830 people have been killed in the conflict. The United Nations estimates that around 250,000 Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries. More than 840,000 people have been displaced within the country.