The Congolese website “Beto” revealed that the Sudanese Sovereign Council, headed by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has adopted a controversial policy granting Sudanese citizenship and permanent residency rights to members of the Ethiopian “Tigray People’s Liberation Front” (TPLF).
This move is strategically aimed at ensuring the continued participation of Tigray fighters in the war against the Rapid Support Forces and strengthening the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which are suffering from exhaustion on multiple tense fronts. Sources explained: “This development comes more than a year after the Sudanese army began deploying Tigray fighters in several battlefields, particularly in the capital Khartoum, as well as in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.”
According to the African website, Ethiopian fighters from Tigray have taken on direct combat roles, drawing on their previous military experience in the conflict with the Ethiopian federal government. The sources added that the Sudanese Armed Forces deployed most of the Front’s fighters earlier this year during its campaign to recapture the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state, and that about 400 fighters were deployed in operations in West Kordofan.
According to field information, these fighters are currently stationed in Wad Madani, the Hashaba area in White Nile State, and in various parts of West Kordofan. Sources also revealed that Tigray fighters allied with the Sudanese army are recruiting Ethiopian refugees in the Um Rakuba camp located in the eastern Qalabat locality in Gedaref state, eastern Sudan. These fighters are exploiting the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and security vacuum to lure vulnerable young people into the conflict. The camp, which suffers from weak oversight, is a fragile incubator for recruitment by armed factions seeking to expand their ranks.
Given the grim humanitarian situation and the lack of safe return options, many refugees see joining the fighting as the only way out of despair, especially with financial incentives offered to support their families. The naturalization of Tigrayan fighters is part of a broader strategy pursued by the Sudanese Armed Forces, which has been recruiting foreign fighters to compensate for the shortage of personnel since the outbreak of war in April 2023.
Sources confirmed: “This policy is not limited to Tigrayan fighters. In the early stages of the conflict, individuals of other African nationalities were granted residency and settlement in exchange for fighting under the banner of the Sudanese Armed Forces.” This sensitive policy has been implemented quietly, without civilian or parliamentary oversight, despite its far-reaching national implications. The Sudanese Armed Forces seek to capitalize on Tigrayan fighters who fled Ethiopia after losing control of territory there and who, due to divisions within the front’s leadership, are now seeking a practical foothold in new conflict zones. Sudan offers them the opportunity to reposition themselves in exchange for a new identity and material gains.
