In response to heavy fighting that has seen the loss of over 400 lives in Sudan in recent days, Josie Stewart, Director of Transparency International Defence and Security Director, said:
What we are seeing in Sudan is an example of what can happen when security sector reform fails.
Following a coup in 2021, the Sudanese army shared power with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an independent paramilitary force with significant political and fighting power.
In December, all parties agreed to transition to a democratically elected government and integrate the RSF into the regular army. But tensions arose around the timeline for integration and the chain of command.
Without this critical agreement on reform of the country’s security sector which would build and strengthen the accountability and governance of the Sudanese armed forces, Sudan and its people are now facing civil war.
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