Sudan Nashra: Key RSF field commander killed | Hemedti urges UN to suspend Sudan’s membership for lack of legitimate govt | Qatar steps into Sudan arena

Following the failure of United Nations-mediated humanitarian talks in Geneva last week between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to yield any tangible results, the United States extended on Tuesday an invitation to both parties for ceasefire talks that would start on August 14 in Switzerland. 

While RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo has agreed to participate, the military government has yet to respond. 

In the combat arena, intense fighting continues unabated across several fronts, particularly in central and southeastern Sudan. On Friday, the military killed one of the RSF’s top field commanders, Abdel Rahman al-Bishi, who had been leading RSF troops in the Sennar and Blue Nile states.

In Sudan's tri-city capital, Khartoum, the military continues to conduct operations in Bahri and southern Khartoum city in the Shagara military area, where they are deploying drones and special operations forces against the RSF.

Meanwhile, the nation’s citizens continue to bear the brunt of the conflict as hunger remains a looming threat for more Sudanese people. Despite the onset of the rainy season, which had raised hopes of compensating for lost agricultural production, thousands of rain-fed feddans remain uncultivated due to a critical shortage of resources and security risks for farmers.

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RSF commander in Sennar, Blue Nile killed

During military operations conducted between July 17 and 20, the Sudanese military killed Abdel Rahman al-Bishi, one of the most influential military figures in central and southeastern Sudan. Bishi, a native of Sennar, played a pivotal role in securing southern Khartoum for the paramilitary group after arriving with his forces from the Blue Nile on April 17, 2023, just after the outbreak of war. He later led military planning to invade Gezira State in December, before shifting operations to Sennar, where he captured its capital, Singa, on June 29, alongside forces led by Abu Agla Keikel. 

A military source who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity said that the military killed Bishi in an airstrike after receiving intelligence on his location. Bishi had been moving along the border between the White Nile and Gezira states, the source said, amassing forces to launch simultaneous attacks on the cities of Sennar and Rabak.

The source added that, following intelligence gathering, the Sudanese Air Force struck targets in Wad Madani and Sennar, as well as the area around Jebel Moya on July 19, resulting in the deaths of over 400 RSF fighters, including Bishi.

A military source from the Singa 17th Infantry Division in Sennar told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the RSF's ability to coordinate and maneuver in the state had been significantly compromised with Bishi’s death.  Bishi was instrumental in unifying RSF troops and leading military units, the source noted.  

An RSF source in Gezira’s capital, Wad Madani, told Mada Masr that Bishi’s death represents a significant leadership loss, impacting the RSF's capacity for mobilization and recruitment in the region.

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Military deploys special operation forces, drones in Khartoum battles

In Sudan's capital, Khartoum, the military continues to launch strikes against RSF snipers stationed in residential buildings and atop high structures. A field source told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the military is targeting RSF positions using drones and special forces trained in urban warfare.

The source noted that the military has secured the perimeter of the Armored Corps camp in southern Khartoum, including the camp's entrances and exits, and is no longer struggling with RSF attacks, which have significantly waned.

In Bahri, military operations continue in the northern areas of the city, as the armed forces aim to cut off military supplies to the RSF fighters entrenched in the Gaili oil refinery, which has been under siege since April. The military is deploying its forces along the roads leading to the area.

A military source at the Wadi Sidna military base in northern Omdurman told Mada Masr that the military’s strategy includes cutting off RSF military supplies while preserving the main infrastructure of the refinery. The source told Mada Masr that recent airstrikes over the past few weeks destroyed major fuel depots, a strategy aimed at depleting the RSF’s fuel supply while maintaining the refinery’s capacity to handle oil flows from South Sudan. A source from the Sudanese Petroleum Ministry told Mada Masr that oil exports from South Sudan are expected to resume in August, once the military removes the RSF from the refinery. 

The disruption of oil flow for over five months has had significant economic repercussions for South Sudan and has driven down the value of the South Sudanese pound, as the economy relies heavily on oil exports. 

A source from the South Sudanese government told Mada Masr that the security situation in Sudan and the halt in oil export revenues have strained South Sudan’s treasury, depleting its foreign currency reserves. The crisis has also led to several months of delayed salaries for government employees.

The oil crisis and its economic repercussions have also impacted South Sudan’s transitional period, which was extended in 2022 until 2024, threatening to destabilize the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year conflict that claimed the lives of around 400,000 people. 

The agreement initiated the transitional period, now extended twice, with the first election since South Sudan's independence from Sudan in 2011 expected in December. 

The South Sudanese government source expressed concerns that the transitional period is facing serious challenges in a struggle to prevent the country from sliding back into conflict. 

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Geneva talks

As the Geneva negotiations, convened by the UN secretary general’s personal envoy for Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, concluded, international calls have intensified for military factions to resume ceasefire talks. 

In a statement on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that, following the Jeddah talks co-facilitated with Saudi Arabia, the US invited the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF to participate in US-mediated ceasefire talks starting August 14 in Switzerland.

The statement emphasized that the talks in Switzerland aim to achieve “a nationwide cessation of violence, enabling humanitarian access to all those in need, and develop a robust monitoring and verification mechanism to ensure implementation of any agreement.” It added that these talks are not intended to address broader political issues. The United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and the African Union are set to participate as observers.

A source from the Transitional Sovereignty Council denied that the council had received any invitation for direct or indirect negotiations with the RSF, whether in Jeddah or elsewhere. 

The source stressed that the Sudanese government and military are committed to the outcomes of the Jeddah talks, stipulating that these agreements must be implemented before further discussions with the RSF can take place. 

However, Sudanese Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Amin told Mada Masr that the ministry received the invitation from the US State Department, adding that the ministry forwarded the letter to “relevant authorities” to assess it and decide on how to respond. 

Amin likewise said that any official participation would be contingent on the implementation of previous agreements. Otherwise, he said, there is no point in negotiations. He also reiterated the military’s opposition to granting legitimacy to the RSF’s continued existence. 

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Qatar steps into Sudan arena 

In a development signaling a warming of relations between Sudan and Qatar, Qatari Foreign Minister Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi met with Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council chairperson and the military’s Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Sudan’s administrative capital, Port Sudan, on Wednesday.

A senior official from the Sudanese Foreign Ministry told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that Muraikhi’s visit is part of an important development in the government's strategy to enhance relations amid the current economic crisis. The official noted that the Qatari delegation's agenda likely includes potential investments in Sudanese states that have remained relatively unaffected by the conflict.

The Transitional Sovereignty Council's media office released a statement saying that Muraikhi delivered greetings from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Tahni and reaffirmed Qatar's support for Sudan's legitimate government and armed forces in addressing the country’s challenges.

Amin told the press that the Qatari minister expressed hope for peace across Sudan, pledging Qatar's support for any genuine initiative that would move the country toward this goal. Amin added that Burhan expressed his and the Sudanese people's appreciation for Qatar's sincere support.

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Sudan, Iran exchange ambassadors

On Sunday, Burhan received Iran's new ambassador to Sudan, Hassan Shah Hosseini, in Port Sudan, marking the end of an eight-year diplomatic rift. Earlier, Burhan had appointed Abdel Aziz Hassan Saleh as Sudan's ambassador to Tehran.

The diplomatic ties between the two countries were severed in 2016 by now-ousted President Omar al-Bashir amid Sudan’s shift toward closer ties with the UAE and Saudi Arabia. 

Iran had been a major supporter of Bashir's regime in its early years. 

The recent rapprochement between Sudan and Iran began in early 2024, when former Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali al-Sadig visited Tehran in early February to advance commitments agreed upon during three official diplomatic meetings with Iranian delegations in prior months.   

A Sudanese foreign ministry source told Mada Masr that the exchange of ambassadors followed six months of work by evaluation committees formed by the foreign ministry to restore relations with Iran. The source highlighted the importance of rebuilding ties with Iran and Sudan’s intention to strengthen relations with all neighboring regions.

Iran has been supplying weapons to the Sudanese military in recent months as relations have grown warmer. A military source previously told Mada Masr that the drones employed in the battles in Khartoum are Iranian-manufactured Mohajer-6 models.   

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Hemedti calls on UN Security Council to suspend Sudan’s membership

On July 17, the RSF delegation at the Geneva talks handed a formal letter from Hemedti to Lamamra, an RSF source told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity. The letter, addressed to the UN’s secretary general, outlined the RSF's commitments in the negotiations, including facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The source said that Hemedti's letter stated that aid distribution would be coordinated with the RSF-affiliated Sudanese Agency for Relief and Humanitarian Operations. The letter called on the UN Security Council to suspend Sudan's UN membership, citing the absence of a legitimate government following the coup on October 25, 2021. It also urged the council to impose a no-fly zone over non-conflict areas.

The source further said that the letter included provisions for ensuring safe passage for individuals and supplies, prohibiting the targeting of humanitarian assets and personnel, and securing humanitarian operation areas and routes.

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Agricultural season at risk

Sudanese farmers told Mada Masr that large areas of the country's rain-fed agricultural lands have been left uncultivated due to the war and lack of funding and agricultural inputs. Concerns are also mounting over the deteriorating state of the gum arabic belt — a significant contributor to the national budget.

Rain-fed agriculture is vital for Sudan, not only for its high productivity but also for its role in providing substantial employment and ensuring food security, particularly in the western, southern, and southeastern regions. 

Before the war broke out in April 2023, agriculture was estimated to account for 20 percent of the country’s total production.

Farmer Shaa Eddin Abdel Rahman told Mada Masr that sesame crop production has halted in the southern regions of Gadarif State this season due to lack of funding and rising fuel costs, which have discouraged farmers from cultivating and preparing their lands.

Gadarif, which hosts the largest rain-fed agriculture projects in the country, was expected to offset losses of irrigated agricultural projects in Gezira and Sennar states. These regions have been severely impacted by RSF incursions, looting of agricultural equipment, and theft of farmers’ crops and savings, according to local emergency rooms and resistance groups who spoke to Mada Masr.

A senior official in Gadarif told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity that the government aims to cultivate 7.5 million feddans this season. This includes 1.2 million feddans for sesame, 5 million feddans for maize, and the remaining land allocated to crops such as cotton, millet and sunflower.

The proposed area for cultivation this season is 500,000 feddans larger than that of last year, the source said, but farmers doubt that this target will be met due to fuel shortages, soaring prices, and insufficient funding from the Agricultural Bank of Sudan, the main financier of agricultural activities in the country. 

An employee in the agricultural bank told Mada Masr that the bank's debts exceed 100 billion Sudanese pounds, with 25 billion owed by farmers in Gadarif alone, leading to stricter lending conditions.

However, the source said that the bank is doing the best it can to provide financing and resources to ensure the success of the agricultural season in Gadarif.

Agriculture journalist Al-Samual Badawi told Mada Masr that the gum arabic belt, a significant part of Sudan's rain-fed agriculture and a major producer for agricultural exports, has been severely impacted by the conflict and lack of security, hampering production.

Badawi added that the absence of production inputs and the security situation are expected to drive up crop prices in Darfur, Kordofan and Gezira, where the RSF controls large areas.

Sudan's gum arabic belt spans approximately 500,000 square kilometers, from Darfur on the Chad border to Gadarif on the Ethiopian border. 

Before the war, Sudan exported around 60,000 tons of gum arabic, according to official figures. However, post-war data is lacking, though some sources indicate that exports continue but at reduced quantities.

Sudan supplies 79 percent of the world's gum arabic, which is used in pharmaceuticals, paper, cosmetics and other industries. 

Traders and investors who spoke to Mada Masr indicate significant challenges in transporting gum arabic from production areas due to ongoing banditry, transport disruptions and looting of traders, which may further disrupt the supply chain and impact gum arabic production in the near future.