A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Violence has gripped Sudan for over a month, since a war between the country’s army and its paramilitary counterpart, the Rapid Support Forces, broke out on April 15. With numerous failed ceasefires, there is little hope for an end to the conflict any time soon. The power struggle has devastated the country and will likely have spillover effects throughout the Sahel, especially in Sudan’s direct neighbor, Chad. We asked three experts to tell us more about how this could all play out. Folahanmi Aina Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)As the war in Sudan rages on, its implications for regional peace and security in the Sahel must not be understated. Given Sudan’s proximity to Chad, an issue of immediate concern is the illicit flow of small arms and light weapons, which could end up in the hands of terrorists, thereby further exacerbating the war against violent extremists including Boko Haram and Islamic State in the West Africa Province, in the Lake Chad Basin. In addition, the influx of war-induced displaced persons and refugees across the Sahel region will worsen the existing humanitarian crisis across the region. Nathaniel K. Powell Africa Analyst, Oxford Analytica Honorary Researcher, Centre for War and Diplomacy, Lancaster UniversityNo Chadian leader can ignore Sudan, especially its Darfur province. Former dictator Hissène Habré used Darfur as a base to take power in 1982 and was in turn overthrown by Darfur-based rebels led by Idriss Déby. In 2006 and 2008, Darfur-based Chadian rebels reached N’Djamena before they were defeated. Ethnicity and family link many in Mahamat Déby’s (Idriss’s
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A lot happens every day. Alliances shift, leaders change, and conflicts erupt. With In Brief, we’ll help you make sense of it all. Each week, experts will dig deep on a single issue happening in the world to help you better understand it.***Violence has gripped Sudan for over a month, since a war between the country’s army and its paramilitary counterpart, the Rapid Support Forces, broke out on April 15. With numerous failed ceasefires, there is little hope for an end to the conflict any time soon. The power struggle has devastated the country and will likely have spillover effects