Sudanese military

Created by then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the Rapid Support Forces have ripped the country in two. This is what happens when a state gives up its monopoly on the legitimate use of force.

The army and the RSF rely on the assets at their disposal to sustain governance and fund their war efforts, while trying to win over the international community by seizing larger swathes of Sudan

The country has all the ingredients that enflame tensions: acute social inequality, an unformed national identity and myriad ethnic groups, all of which were exacerbated by colonial rule

The head of the Rapid Support Forces blames Cairo for his militia's recent heavy losses south of Khartoum. Al Majalla offers several explanations for Hemedti's finger-wagging.

US-arranged talks in Geneva were attended by only one of the warring parties. The other sent no delegates because their list of concerns had not been addressed. Meanwhile, the war crimes continue

The world remains distracted by other conflicts and crisis, but with this large African country on the brink of famine and no end in sight to the fighting, there are warnings that Sudan could splinter

Amid fevered talk of a first face-to-face between Al-Burhan and Hemedti since they took the country to war, Sudanese hopes of a breakthrough towards a lasting calm have been rekindled.