On one side are the Sudanese armed forces who remain broadly loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's de facto ruler. Against him are the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a collection of militia who follow the former warlord Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
The RSF was founded by the former dictatorial ruler Omar al-Bashir as an Arab counterinsurgency militia. Bashir wanted to crush a rebellion in the region of Darfur that began more than 20 years ago due to the political and economic marginalisation of the local population. Initially known as the Janjaweed, the RSF quickly became synonymous with widespread atrocities. In 2013, Bashir transformed the group into a semi-organised paramilitary force before deploying it to crush a fresh rebellion in South Darfur.
Hemedti's power struggle with Burhan can be traced back to 2019 when the RSF and regular military forces cooperated to oust Bashir from power.
This story is from the October 22, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the October 22, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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