Sudan's General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, rose from lowly beginnings to head a widely feared Arab militia that crushed a revolt in Darfur, winning him influence and eventually a role as the country's second most powerful man, and one of its richest. On Saturday, fighting erupted between his Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which were militias in Darfur before they became a paramilitary force, and the military.
, which were militias in Darfur before they became a paramilitary force, and the military.
Hemedti first took up arms in the western Darfur region after men who attacked his trade convoy killed about 60 people from his family and looted camels, according to Muhammad Saad, a former assistant to Hemedti. Conflict had spread in Darfur from 2003 after mostly non-Arab rebels rose up against Khartoum.
Hemedti's militia was legitimised. He won the rank of lieutenant-general and had free rein to seize gold mines in Darfur and sell Sudan’s most valuable resource. As Sudan limped from one economic crisis to another, Hemedti became wealthy. After years of supporting Bashir, Hemedti took part in the ousting in 2019 of his longtime ally, who had faced pressure from mass protests calling for democracy and an end to economic woes.
“Hemedti planned on becoming the number one man in Sudan. He has unlimited ambition,” said an opposition figure who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.The RSF launched a bloody crackdown on a protest camp in 2019 outside the Ministry of Defence after Bashir's ousting, witnesses said. More than 100 people were killed. Hemedti denied ordering the assault.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Sudan's RSF head commits to de-escalate tensions with army, mediators sayThe Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began redeploying units in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere amid talks last month on its integration into the military under a transition plan leading to new elections.
Read more »
Sudan’s army chief, paramilitary head ready to de-escalate tensions - mediatorsGeneral Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of Sudan's army, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of a powerful Sudanese paramilitary group, are prepared to take steps to de-escalate tensions between their forces, mediators said in statements on Friday and early Saturday.
Read more »
Mediators says Sudan army ready to end standoff with RSF paramilitarySudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al Burhan is ready to take any step to solve an ongoing standoff with powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, mediators say
Read more »
Sudan paramilitaries say they have seized presidential palaceSudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces also said they took the residence of the army chief and Khartoum international airport in an apparent coup attempt as clashes erupted with the army in an escalating power struggle.
Read more »
Sudan's army and rival force clash, wider conflict fearedFierce clashes between Sudan’s military and the country’s powerful paramilitary force have erupted in the capital and elsewhere in the African nation. The fighting raised fears of a wider conflict in the chaos-strickennation. In Khartoum on Saturday, the sound of heavy firing could be heard in a number of areas. In a series of statements, the Rapid Support Forces militia accused the army of attacking its forces at a base in south Khartoum. The RSF claimed it seized the city’s airport and “completely controlled” Khartoum’s Republican Palace. Tensions between the military and the RSF have escalated in recent months, forcing a delay in the signing of an internationally backed deal with political parties to revive the country’s democratic transition.
Read more »