The Militia…Ripping the Incubators to Pieces

News Analysis

By Mohamed Wadaa

– Three out of the biggest tribal groups in the country declare allegiance to the Armed Forces
– The Rizeigat, the Missiriya, the Habania and the Bataheen, are four of the largest incubators for the rebel militias
– A Pull-out in thousands from the ranks of the rebel forces
– The Rizeigat have witnessed huge differences and big splits from with, because of position towards the militias

News reports said the overall Nazir of the Bataheen tribe Muntasir Khalid has called on the President of the Sovereign Council Lieutenant General Abdul Fatah Al Burhan and conveyed to him the support of his tribe for the Armed Forces in its war against the rebel RSF and the tribe’s disavowing of the unruly members who affiliated themselves with the rebels and fight along their ranks.
In the meantime the Higher Coordination Council of the Habania tribal group has issued a statement in which the tribe states” the militia does not represent the people of Darfur and does not stand for the Arabs of Darfur and only does represent criminal hirelings and thieves roving without aims…the council reaffirms and renews its full stand with the Armed Forces and will stand on the side of the army fighting and calling on other to fight on its side until the whole homeland is purged of the discretion of hirelings who call themselves the Rapid Support Forces.
We take this position in spite of the systematic targeting for the leaders of the council as heads of the tribe and the targeting of their families and houses and in spite of the open threats that reached the extent of menacing the leadership of the tribe with physical liquidation, failure to surrender. And this threat and targeting was because we have unequivocally announced our standing with the army in the battle of dignity, because the army is a national, constitutional and legitimate institution trusted with defending the homeland and the citizens within the homeland.”
And since two days ago, video footages coming from West Kordufan state (Babanousa, Fula and Mairam- documenting the huge support and siding by the fighters of the Missiriya with the Armed Forces in defense of the homeland and their state and towns in face of the militia invasion which is backed by mercenaries hailing from neighbouring countries), these videos show people sworn allegiance for the homeland and pledging to defend it and to fight the militias in support of the Armed Forces.
These positions, albeit coming late, are no doubt a huge blow to the militias, as they are a source of human supply and ground in which the troops move. Thus they are deprived of vast areas that used to facilitate their movements and constituted a friendly environment for them. This new alliance will no doubt frustrate, to great extent, the line of supply and roads coming from Chad via Um Jaras airport and on the other hand place the infiltrating forces sneaking from Khartoum and Butana and Sharq el Nil into critical positions.
These stands are not coming out of the bleu and regardless of the differences in interpretations about their outcome from one region to the other, still these are positions that come thanks to sustained efforts from the sons of these tribes with the assistance and backing of known national figures that are not ethnically affiliated to them. This is of course no doubt a continuation of ripping the quota system according to which each of these tribes had to contribute within the RSF. It is also true that these new positions came after cracks of defeats appeared within the RSF and signs of their contradictory attitudes and incapacity to even secure the salaries of their troops, thanks to drying up of the looting they were expecting to gain, as well as the huge losses in material and human resources amongst the affiliates of those tribes.
It is therefore expected that the coming few days would witness profound differences to surge between the sub-ethnic groups among the Rizeigat, the largest of the incubators for the rebel militias. The reality is that some leaderships of those tribes have never openly stood with the militias, notwithstanding their law voices. Equally, some of those leaders wanted to put an end to the blind following for Daglo family after the violation and crimes committed by the rebel and the dissipation of their dreams to have the upper hand on the homeland. Thus it is a few of the beneficiaries and the warlords who have been having the higher voices and have been sticking to continue walking behind the Daglo clan, despite the huge human and material losses incurred and the high cost the tribes have sustained economically, politically and socially, even if that would lead them to suicide: a tribe leading war against the whole state. Still, the saying goes, better late than never
15 December 2023