Sudan’s paramilitary RSF leader admits setbacks as army advances in Khartoum


KHARTOUM, Sudan / ISTANBUL

The commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, on Friday acknowledged setbacks as the country’s army made advances in the capital Khartoum.


In a recorded video, Hemedti urged his fighters to focus on future gains and ignore the areas recently retaken by the army.


“To all forces on all fronts, do not dwell on what the army has taken from us—whether it is the General Command (in central Khartoum), the Signal Corps (in Bahri), Jili town (north of Khartoum), or Wad Madani (capital of Al-Jazira state),” he said.


He called on his troops to concentrate on their next objectives rather than on lost territory.


Hemedti claimed his forces could drive the army out of Khartoum again, as they had done before.


His remarks came after recent military gains by the Sudanese army, which broke the RSF siege on its General Command headquarters and the Signal Corps, regained control of most of Bahri, and took back Umm Ruwaba in North Kordofan state.


The army and RSF have been fighting since mid-April 2023, a war that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced approximately 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. However, research from US universities estimates the death toll at around 130,000.


International and UN calls for an end to the war are mounting, warning of an impending humanitarian catastrophe as millions face famine and death due to food shortages. The conflict has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.