Sudan conflict becoming 'war of attrition', experts warn

Description

"The battle for Khartoum is quickly developing into a war of attrition where both sides have similar capabilities and capacities," said Andreas Krieg of King's College London.

According to Krieg, Egypt has long-standing ties with Sudan's army, while the Saudis maintain a "balanced approach" to both.

The United Arab Emirates, a key Saudi and US ally, has "pivoted in favour of" Daglo, he added.

Russian mercenary group Wagner, which the US says has access to Sudan's gold mines, "has been very instrumental" over the years for both the army and the RSF, said Krieg.

But, having grown wealthy from lucrative RSF-controlled Sudanese gold mines, Daglo has built a support network through Wagner and the UAE.

"If Wagner had to make a choice", Krieg said, it would be Daglo, whose gold activities have been "instrumental" for the Russian mercenaries.

Wagner's reliance on the UAE to sell its gold "to the open market", ensuring it does not rely on Russian state funding, according to Krieg, gives Daglo "a competitive advantage".

Period	7 May 2023
Held at	France 24 Television, France