In Sudan's capital, young militiamen, some no older than 15, ride around in pickup trucks mounted with missiles: a familiar sight to civilians who remember how the current war began.
Three years ago, a powerful militia that had come under the auspices of the state -- the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) -- turned against the army, sparking a conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people by some estimates.
Now, with Sudan's army relying on a new coalition of militias to fight its battles, many fear it is repeating the same cycle.
"We've seen this scenario over and over. It's the same old mistakes, and it's only a matter of time before they turn on each other," said a 30-year-old Sudanese writer who, like others AFP spoke to, requested anonymity for security reasons.
Of the dozens of armed groups in army-controlled territory, technically under army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, three are the most powerful:
