The ACRPS Strategic Studies Unit is holding a symposium Titled “Militia vs Army? Military Developments in the Sudanese Crisis” at 12:00 pm on Monday 29 May 2023. Speakers participating in the event are retired Brigadier-General and delegated lecturer at Joaan Bin Jassim Academy for Defence Studies and Ahmed bin Mohammed Military College, Mohamed Zein Ahmad; retired Major General and former director of the National Defence College, Nimiry Military Academy, Osama Abdelsalam; Researcher at the ACRPS,
Aicha Elbasri; and Professor of Cyber Defence Studies at Joaan Bin Jassim Academy for Defence Studies, Fathelalem Ali Hija.
The symposium will address the current crisis in Sudan and its developments on the ground, focusing on the security, military and strategic aspects. It seeks to answer several questions: How can the current crisis be defined – Is it an armed rebellion, civil war, proxy war, or something else? Is it a struggle for power between military forces, or is it a reflection of ideological struggles among civilian elites as well? What are the institutional and organizational backgrounds both the Sudanese regular armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces? How can the future of the crisis be read militarily in terms of arming each party, their local and external support, and their ability to fight in cities and built-up areas? Is it expected that one of the two parties will resolve the conflict militarily, or will the war turn into a protracted conflict? What repercussions will the crisis have on regional and international security (especially for neighboring countries such as Egypt, Libya and Chad)?
The symposium will be held in person in the Arab Center lecture hall and will be livestreamed on the Center's social media, with simultaneous translation available between Arabic and English.