Sudan: RSF Commander Hemedti Appears on Camera for the First Time Since War Began

(Patria) - Sudanese paramilitary forces have released a video on Twitter of their leader addressing fighters, marking his first video appearance since the outbreak of conflict in April, the BBC reported.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemedti", appeared gaunt in the footage, with commentators noting he held his right arm strangely. There has been speculation that the commander, who is in his late forties, was injured in the war.

His speech included his usual rhetoric against General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief with whom he is engaged in a bitter power struggle for control of the country. He said that if the army's leadership changed, he would agree to a peace deal within 72 hours.

Hemedti first rose to power through the ranks of the Janjaweed militia, accused of ethnic cleansing during the Darfur conflict. The RSF was created by former president Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown after street protests in 2019.

The RSF leader supported his ouster as a way to position himself for a more powerful role. But his alliance with General Burhan collapsed disastrously three months ago.

Since the war began, the RSF has moved into bases in many residential areas of the three cities that make up
Greater Khartoum - Bahri, Khartoum, and Omdurman - which have often faced airstrikes.
In his speech, Hemedti was particularly angry at Yasir al-Atta, a senior military officer leading
operations in Omdurman.
He apologized to Sudanese people for the "war catastrophe", which he claimed was imposed on the RSF.
Surrounded by armed fighters in the five-minute video, he also denied that those accused of
widespread looting in Khartoum and elsewhere were RSF members.