The Fall of the Masks… Narratives of the RSF Militia and the Reality of the Imposed War

Dr. Al-Haitham Al-Kindi Youssef

On the occasion of the third anniversary of the War of Dignity, several questions arise… Why does the Rapid Support fight in this war? What are the discourses it uses to mobilise its supporters? Are these real and genuine motives? In the following article, we attempt to answer these questions:

Since the outbreak of war in April 2023, the media machine of the Rapid Support Militia has not ceased its efforts to weave a narrative that grants their rebellion false legitimacy and a just cause. However, anyone who perceives the reality of the situation finds that these slogans are nothing but masks, falling one after another before the facts and evidence on the ground.

The militia has relied on shifting between three narratives, each of which we will briefly discuss below:

The Lie of Fighting the ‘Remnants’ (Al-Fuloul):

The militia raises the slogan of fighting the ‘Remnants of the former regime’, or what they call the ‘Kezan’ regime, in a paradoxical twist that is laughable. The Rapid Support is nothing but the legitimate offspring of the former regime, which created and nurtured it to be its loyal ‘guard dog’ for a decade and a half. More astonishing than this is that most of the leaders associated with the former regime, from the militia’s own social components, have today actually joined its ranks. So why does the militia not classify them as such, or is this a policy of double standards? Furthermore, how can he who was the primary protection tool of the ‘Remnants’ today claim to be revolting against them?

The Illusion of the ‘1956 State’:

In its discourse, the militia targets what it calls the ‘1956 State’, forgetting that it is the greatest beneficiary of that state’s privileges. The parliamentary deputies from the regions they belonged to in the independence parliament were the very first to demand that state, and they received its gifts, military ranks, executive positions, and native administration posts in abundance.

The ‘1956 State’ that the militia attacks is the very same one that granted the militia’s leaders high military ranks and the legal legitimacy through which they expanded their power. So how can it be that the creation of the state is its destroyer, under the pretext of victimhood?

Marginalisation… A Truth Used for False Purposes:

The militia’s leaders claim to raise the banner of the marginalised, while the reality of the Dagleo family completely refutes this, in letter and spirit. They could not be further from economic or political marginalisation, having acquired wealth and positions unprecedented for any Sudanese, without right or fair competition. Their fortunes have accumulated through control of gold mines and the plunder of the country’s resources under the protection of the very centre they now claim to be revolting against. This is a ‘marginalisation’ that only those who own private jets and multinational corporations can perceive!

To refute the militia’s argument about defending the marginalised, it is enough to point to the documented violations in the areas the militia claims to be protecting from marginalisation (such as what happened in El Geneina, El Fasher, or the villages of Gezira state). This reinforces the idea that their claimed ‘liberation from marginalisation’ is, in reality, destruction.

The Destructive Trinity: The Real Reasons for the War:

If we strip away these shiny slogans, the truth appears. This rebellion is not for democracy or justice; it is a move driven by:

Personal Greed: The desire of the Dagleo family to retain power and wealth and to sit on the throne of governance in Sudan.

A Regional Agenda: External forces that found in the militia an obedient agent to advance their projects and control Sudan’s resources and strategic location.

Political Opportunism: Local actors who realise their inability to reach power through the ballot box, so they chose to ride the militia’s tank to reach the seats of power.

Were it not for God’s grace, and then the brave stand of the Sudanese people and their living national forces, and their cohesion with their armed forces, which acted as the solid rock upon which the conspiracy shattered, Sudan today would be merely a fiefdom subordinate to the new coloniser. The consciousness of the Sudanese citizen foiled the plot to turn the country into another model of chaos and dependency.

The war waged by the militia is a nightmare that is nearing its end, God willing. With every inch of ground liberated, the conviction grows that Sudan will remain united, and that false narratives cannot withstand the sacrifices of the honourable.

We ask God to grant our country complete victory, to purify its soil of the filth of rebellion, so that Sudan remains proud and dignified.

Shortlink: https://sudanhorizon.com/?p=12846