Sudanese Deputy Chairman of Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hameti, in Khartoum, Sudan on March 02, 2022 [Sudanese Presidential Palace/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images]
Sudanese Deputy Chairman of Sovereign Council Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hameti, in Khartoum, Sudan on March 02, 2022 [Sudanese Presidential Palace/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images]
The leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan vowed on Saturday to continue fighting and threatened new offensives against the Sudanese army. In a video statement, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemetti, said that the RSF will not withdraw from the presidential palace or the capital, Khartoum.
“The situation is different now,” said the rebel commander. “The war is inside Khartoum, and we will not leave the presidential palace.”
Dagalo also threatened “countries that supported the army,” saying that they “will pay the price.” His forces will target Port Sudan, he added, which is used by the army as a centre for managing the country’s affairs. Port Sudan is also home to the headquarters of UN agencies and diplomatic missions.
His statement came at a time when the army has made significant progress in the fighting over the past few months.
In a related context, the Wall Street Journal, had reported previously that Dagalo had disappeared from the battlefields for months, sparking widespread discontent among his soldiers, who felt abandoned.
Last week, the Sudanese army commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, said that there would be “no negotiations” with the RSF “unless they surrender their weapons and hold their members accountable.” The army is advancing on several fronts in the war with the RSF militia that has been raging since mid-April 2023.
READ: Egypt says Sudan’s division is a ‘red line’