The media reported on Friday that General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was inclined to meet with the army commander to defuse tensions between the RSF and the army.
Long-simmering tensions, most notably the army’s Thursday warning of a potential conflict in response to RSF mobilizations, have hampered efforts to maintain civilian control.
After assisting in the 2019 overthrow of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir, the RSF began discussions to join the military as part of a transition plan to new elections last month.
In 2019, Dagalo, also known in Sudan as Hemedti, is the commander of the Rapid Support Forces and the second in command of the Sovereign Council, which is led by army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Sources close to both men stated on Friday that they were unable to concur on the military chief of staff during the transfer. The military opposes the civilian presidency of the RSF. This issue has delayed the formation of a civilian government and an agreement between political parties.
After the army’s warning on Thursday, erstwhile rebel leaders Jibril Ibrahim, Minni Minnawi, and Agar offered their services as mediators.
“After an honest and serious conversation, [Dagalo] assured us of his total commitment to avoid escalation and his willingness to sit down with his brother, the head of the Sovereign Council, and his brothers in the armed forces at any time and under any circumstances,” the three men said.
According to military sources, the RSF must withdraw its personnel from the vicinity of a military airstrip in Merowe in order to de-escalate the situation. Friday, RSF sources said that Burhan orchestrated the movements. Some Khartoum residents were horrified due to rumors of an impending conflict and the city’s armored vehicles and military trucks.
Many held both parties liable. “We are fighting for food, drink, education, and healthcare,” Nafisa Suleiman declared at a vegetable stand. “They are battling for power and robbing the nation, whereas we are fighting for these things.”
Isam Hassan, 35 years old, stated, “The military is supposed to protect people, but they are now our greatest threat.” The RSF must respond to the military. “No nation has two armies,” he declared.
The principal civilian coalition, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), has joined pro-democracy opposition groups and labor unions in attributing the escalation to Bashir’s now-prohibited military-affiliated party.
“Elements of the disbanded so-called National Congress Party have reemerged openly engaging in criminal activity and sowing discord,” they stated in a rare joint statement.
In October 2021, when the army and RSF overthrew the civilian government, Bashir loyalists may return to public service. This revitalization, according to Hemedti, led him to support the new transition agreement rather than the coup.
