Sudan: shadow of militia leader Hemeidti hangs over civilian forces

Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, in Khartoum, April 30, 2019. ASHRAF SHAZLY / AFP

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2 min

In Sudan, the military and civilians who share power are blaming each other for the many crises that are shaking the country, such as the ongoing blockage in Port Sudan.

This afternoon, demonstrations are planned in Khartoum at the call of dissent within the civilian forces.

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Many see in this dissent the influence of the military, who are trying to

by cracking the alliance of civilian parties.

And behind the scenes, we must see among others the hand of Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemeidti, the commander of a powerful paramilitary militia.

According to several corroborating sources, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo would have taken out the wallet to encourage many Sudanese to join the demonstration.

Students from Koranic schools were reportedly paid to travel to Khartoum.

Buses are even said to be chartered from Darfur.

The aim is to put pressure on the civilian government.

Hemeidti on the move

According to a French diplomat, Hemeidti plays on the antagonism between the center and the peripheries by supporting the faction of the Forces for Freedom and Change created a week ago by Gibril Ibrahim and Minni Minawi, two former leaders of rebel groups. Originally from Darfur, they try to present themselves as the spokespersons of the peripheral regions. Unlike the politicians of central Sudan and the Nile Valley who have long held the reins of the country without taking into account the demands of marginalized regions. Hemeidti himself was in the process of negotiating the Juba accords with these various rebel groups in Darfur. 

Hemeidti's forces, however, are suspected of having committed numerous crimes in Darfur.

The Rapid Support Forces have largely recruited from the Janjaweed militias used since 2003 by Omar al-Bashir against insurgent groups in the region.

In 2013, ousted President Omar al-Bashir made it an official militia in the service of the Sudanese state.

A powerful but weakened man

The Commander of the Rapid Support Forces is at the head of a veritable empire in mining, gold, import-export, roads, infrastructure and transport.

Hemeidti is rich and powerful, he leads a militia of more than 40,000 soldiers according to various estimates.

Yet man is weakened.

Indeed, many actors and in particular the president of the sovereignty council, General Al-Burhan wish to integrate his forces within the regular army.

The United States is also stepping up the pressure in this direction.

As a symbol, this week, the American company Facebook announced that it had suspended more than 600 accounts and pages with links to the controversial militia. 

Hemeidti's forces are also suspected of being responsible for the violent dispersal of the peaceful sit-in on June 3, 2019, in front of the army headquarters leaving more than 200 dead and hundreds missing.

The investigation into this matter has still not delivered its conclusions.  

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• Sudan