Thread by @ThomasVLinge

The #SAF-#RSF war across #Sudan 🇸🇩 is not just a power struggle between #Burhan and #Hemedti, it is a clash of two military generations. Two vastly different cultures of warfare, each with a desire to dominate Sudan and have the other one be the scapegoat of decades of misery.

Burhan represents the old guard, the generals who took power in 1989 and have basically ruled #Sudan 🇸🇩 ever since. The SAF is a responds to ower struggles with coups and to rebellions with sieges and bombardments. It is a classic Arab military, similar to the EGA 🇪🇬or the SAA 🇸🇾

Hemedti is the challenger. He represents the warlord generation, his irregular RSF was founded from the "Janjaweed" militias, which were created to do the SAF's dirty work.

RSF militants would destroy village after village in rebellious areas, slaughter thousands of civilians.

For years the RSF functioned as subordinate to the SAF, being the enforcer of the military by doing the things regular army units didn't have the stomach to do, like ethnically cleansing areas, slaughtering protesters, enforcing a coup in the streets.

But no more.

It is said that Hemedti never supported the 2021 coup and only begrudgingly enforced it by keeping order in the streets. He knew the #SudanCoup was doomed to fail.

But while Burhan was busy running the show Hemedti build his own empire, one of thousands of motivated mercenaries

This military showdown could be described as Bashir's revenge. The former Sudanese dictator created several competiting branches of the armed forces (SAF,RAF,NISS), figuring a divided military could never overthrow him & rule in his stead.

It turns out he was only partly wrong.

And so now we've had reached the logical conclusion of a collision years in the making. Both leaders know that eventually someone will have to take the fall for the years of misery and bloodshed, both during the Bashir era and the coup years that came after it.

When reading the news please don't think any of these two military factions represent the people of #Sudan 🇸🇩. The Sudanese people represent themselves, brave and peaceful. Often the victims of criminals with guns but despite that unapologetic about change and unafraid to dream.