Sudan’s army says RSF commander fled hideout

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Sudan’s army said Sunday paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had fled his hideout.

A brief military statement said Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, escaped from his hideout after his soldiers had run away.

No further details were provided.

This came amid conflicting reports about the situation in Sudan amid clashes between the army and RSF fighters in the capital Khartoum since Saturday.

Speaking to the Doha-based Al Jazeera television on Saturday, Hemedti called army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan “a criminal” and accused the military of carrying out a coup.

While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military said the paramilitary force was "spreading lies" and declared it a "rebel" group.

At least 56 people have been killed and hundreds injured in the fighting, according to local medics.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a “coup”.

Last December, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement to resolve the months-long crisis.

The signing of the final agreement was scheduled to take place on April 6 but was delayed. No date has been announced for the signing of the deal.

Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Ikram Kouachi contributed to this report