The impact of tribalism on political stability in Sudan, the case of Sudan War 2023

Abstract

My research is based on how Sudanese tribalism is critically related to political stability, narrowing it down to how the 2003 Darfur War has been linked to the Sudanese War of 2023. The basis of this research questions how historical context such as the formation of RSF by the previous Sudanese government relates to the current tribal dynamics and political instability in Sudan. The dissertation begins by considering the 2003 Darfur War and the leading role taken by the RSF, heavily composed of Arabic tribes from Darfur, in its violent attacks against the non-Arab tribes. The racial dimensions of this conflict, which have carried through even to the present, are then discussed. The ways in which actions taken by the RSF have incited further tensions, informing the course of the 2023 Sudanese War, are assessed. In this regard, using integrated qualitative research approaches, I attempt to tease out the complex interplay between tribalism, racial tensions, and political stability in Sudan by drawing on case studies and content analyses. More precisely, I shall closely analyze how the history of the Darfur War and the rise of the RSF have configured the current conflict: the exclusion of communities from power and ethnic-based violence. This research is based on an essential hypothesis that tribalism and tribal alliances played a significant, determining role in the current Sudanese war. The dissertation, therefore, concludes with an attempt at an incisive analysis of how past tribal conflicts-like those in Darfur-merged with state-sponsored violence to have a lingering effect on the political stability of Sudan today.