Although democratic protests in 2019 in Sudan ousted the widely despised dictator and indicted war criminal President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the regimes that emerged kept a Bashir cuckoo in the nest: Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan, known as Hemedti. Having assisted in the ousting of his one-time patron, Hemedti turned his forces on peaceful demonstrators, killing up to 120, and the powersharing deal with the civilians who led the protests, supposed to bring about a transition towards a democratic government, was interrupted by a coup in October 2021.
Since then a coalition of the regular army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been in charge. Now they have fallen out, primarily it is reported over plans to incorporate the RSF into the army, and over who would then lead the new force. Hemedti has also long resented his position as official deputy on Sudan’s ruling council.
A commander with a long record of brutal action on behalf of Bashir – including the worst atrocities in the western region of Darfur, where as many as 300,000 people died – Hemedti has amassed a personal fortune in gold and controls up to 70,000 fighters, once known as the Janjeweed, now the RSF.
[ Irish EU ambassador to Sudan in ‘good shape’ as fighting continuesOpens in new window ]
In the past few days close to 200 people are confirmed to have died in clashes across the country, while the World Health Organisation warns hospitals are running out of critical supplies to treat the many injured. A US diplomatic convoy came under fire and the Irish man who acts as EU ambassador, Aidan O’Hara, was attacked in his home.
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A ceasefire agreed to come into force late on Tuesday, following the intervention of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, raised hopes of an end to the fighting, though there were still reports of gunfire afterwards . An end to hostilities would at least allow attempts to find a peaceful way forward, though this will not be easily achieved .