On Saturday, armed clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia led by Muhammad Hamdan Daglo, also known as "Hemedti," raising concerns of a potential slide into civil war. 

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights activist Tawakkol Karman warned of this risk and drew parallels to the situation in Yemen, stating on her official social media page, "As long as I believed that Hemedti would lead Sudan into civil war, I will summarize the situation in few words: The Rapid Support Forces is the Houthi version of Sudan."

Karman explained, "Ali Saleh created the Houthi militias in Yemen and Al-Bashir created Hemedti and the Janjaweed militias in Sudan. Though the names and groups differ, their goals are the same, driven by the shared principle: 'After I'm gone, chaos.'

The clashes in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, involved heavy and light weapons and resulted in the Rapid Support Forces' announcement of gaining full control over the Presidential Palace, Khartoum Airport, El Fasher Airport, El Geneina Airport, and various other sites in different states.

The Rapid Support Forces were initially formed in 2013 to combat rebels in the Darfur region and later evolved to protect borders and maintain order. 

The militia is affiliated with the Security and Intelligence Agency, and its official number remains unknown, although it is estimated to exceed tens of thousands.

The differences between the army and the Rapid Support Forces have also affected the final agreement of the political process in Sudan, which was scheduled for April 5 but was postponed indefinitely.