Yemen's scenario is being repeated in Sudan

Three weeks into the war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, it is clear that Sudan is the only loser, as there are no real signs of an imminent political solution to resolve this crisis, in which five armistice agreements have already been broken.

Despite the scale of the crisis in Sudan, it offers an array of lessons for the region, its states, parties, and factions, as well as the international community. We must reflect deeply on these lessons, some of which are patently evident and others that we must constantly reiterate, though they are fundamental and obvious.

One lesson is that wherever there are armed groups who are not controlled by the state, they gravely undermine the state. Indeed, the Arab countries in which such non-state actors operate will inevitably see new conflicts erupt so long as armed groups operate outside the purview of the state or even in parallel to it.

This is what happened in Yemen, and now we see the same thing unfolding in Sudan. Other Arab states could well have to contend with this threat soon. Unfortunately, the list includes Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, if we can really call them states at all. The scenes from Sudan, which we had previously seen in Yemen, suggest that this fate is inevitable so long as non-state actors are active in a given country.

The other lesson is that what has falsely been dubbed the Arab Spring demonstrates that none of those who had cheered for this so-called “Spring” succeeded. Nonetheless, not everyone who had been enthusiastic about them at the time has understood the lessons it taught us.