Who Are Hemedti’s Generals in Sudan?

The war waged by the Rapid Support Forces against the Sudanese army continues, unleashing a long-term conflict that will not easily quiet in the streets of Khartoum. It dominates the Sudanese situation and outlines a worrisome future for the country, which has been troubled for years.

On April 15, 2023, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti, who evolved from the “Janjaweed” militia in Darfur, decided to launch a fierce war against the Sudanese army and its leaders, aiming to take control of Sudan and completely overthrow the military institution, restructuring it.

Hemedti relied on a range of regional and international factors and alliances, hoping that the Sudanese army would quickly collapse through a swift operation that would dismantle its cohesion.

However, instead of that, signs of a protracted war emerged, suggesting that defeating the army would be an extremely challenging process.

The other aspect worth mentioning when discussing the Rapid Support Forces is that they are not a transient force or a mere faction but rather a parallel force to the army, both in terms of numbers and entities.

Under Hemedti’s control, there are approximately 100,000 fully equipped fighters, resembling a separatist army.

They have their own specialized units and apparatus, along with field commanders who exert control over their operations.

Over the years, Hemedti has appointed trusted men to lead his units in the vast region, particularly in his stronghold in Darfur. These forces also have external branches in countries such as Libya, Yemen, and Chad.

 

Abu Nshouk

When the battles intensified between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, Darfur witnessed intense parallel fighting, especially in Nyala, the southern region’s capital.

This was also the case in Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, and el-Fashir, the famous capital of the northern region.

Leading these battles is Jiddo Hamdan Ahmed (Abu Nshouk), one of the most powerful generals of the Rapid Support Forces, and he holds a special position.

He is a member of the Hemedti clan and is part of the inner circle of the military command of the force under his control.

Abu Nshouk joined the Border Guard Force in the early 2000s when the force was formed in 2003 by former President Omar al-Bashir. It consisted of fighters from the Arab tribes of Northern Darfur, led by Musa Hilal.

On October 2, 2018, the Sudanese newspaper, Monte-Carro, published a report on the history of Jiddo Abu Nshouk, stating that he joined the Rapid Support Forces as part of the so-called “repentant” group.

This term was used for individuals who had engaged in criminal activities such as robbery, looting, roadblocks, and drug trafficking but had declared their repentance.

Abu Nshouk gained prominence when he participated in the 2006 battle of Gereida between the Rapid Support Forces and the rebel Suliman Arcua Minnawi forces against the rule of al-Bashir at that time.

Afterward, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed as the deputy commander of the training camp in Fatah. Following the death of the camp commander, Colonel Ibrahim Ahmed, in the battles of Taruji in the Nuba Mountains, Jiddo Abu Nshouk was appointed as the commander of the Fatah camp.

He was later promoted to the rank of brigadier general, along with 50 members of his extended family from the Mahariya, the grandsons of the head of a sub-clan of the Mahariya, Rizeigat Arab tribe, which is also the tribe to which the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Hemedti, belongs.

According to the Sudanese newspaper Nile News, as of September 18, 2022, in addition to his military activities, Brigadier Abu Nshouk is considered one of the wealthy individuals in Darfur.

He owns over 30 commercial vehicles used for passenger transportation, as well as 5 grazing lands for camels, in addition to sheep and cattle.

He also owns several houses, two of which are in the Airport neighborhood in Nyala and a villa in the Riyadh neighborhood.

Abu Nshouk led the Rapid Support Forces in South Darfur until 2021, when he assumed leadership of the Rapid Support Forces in North Darfur.

He participated in the campaign to suppress the protests against Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum in late 2018.

Video footage posted online shows him shaving the heads of some young protesters, a practice that was prevalent at that time.

 

Abdel Rahim Dagalo

Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo is the younger brother of the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Hemedti, and they both belong to the Arab Rizeigat tribe in Darfur.

Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo gained significant prominence when he was appointed as Hemedti’s deputy following the Sudanese revolution that ousted President Omar al-Bashir after more than three decades of rule.

Abdel Rahim Dagalo was the primary person in charge of the dispersal of the sit-in at the General Command on June 3, 2019, where more than 100 people were killed, and around 700 others were injured during the attack on the protest.

On June 11, 2019, The Guardian newspaper published a report about 70 cases of rape committed by the Rapid Support Forces during the dispersal of the sit-in, which was led by Abdel Rahim Dagalo, according to testimonies from doctors.

The British newspaper stated details of the rape crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces that had spread online, despite the communication restrictions imposed in Sudan.

Footage of the sit-in dispersal showed convoys of military vehicles coming from the south of Khartoum through al-Amarat on their way to the General Command.

These vehicles entered the command area, where they were initially greeted by the protesters with chants before turning against them, leading the protesters to face their fate at the hands of Abdel Rahim Dagalo’s forces.

Videos also showed scenes from the dispersal of the sit-in during the last days of Ramadan in 2023, depicting armed security forces wearing blue or light brown uniforms either on foot or aboard military vehicles.

Gunfire could be heard continuously, accompanied by chaos and casualties among peaceful protesters.

It was during these clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army that Abdel Rahim Dagalo’s role became evident.

On April 22, 2023, footage of Abdel Rahim Dagalo circulated on social media, in which he urged members and soldiers of the Sudanese army to lay down their weapons and abandon their support for the Transitional Sovereign Council President, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

 

Group of Generals

There are other different formations within the ranks of the Rapid Support Forces, most of which are based in Nyala, the most populous city in Darfur.

Currently, the city is divided between an area under the control of the Sudanese army and an area under the control of the Rapid Support Forces located near the airport.

In Nyala, the forces of Hemedti are led by Brigadier Ahmed Suliman, a local resident who was a member of the Sudanese army until 2016 before joining the Rapid Support Forces and becoming one of its leaders.

In the eastern and central parts of Darfur, which have so far been spared from the fighting in the current conflict, the Rapid Support Forces are led by Brigadiers Ali Yaqub and Ahmed Barakatalla.

Major General Eyssam el-Dine Saleh Fadil is the overall commander of the five divisions of the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur.

Another prominent general among the Rapid Support Forces leadership is Brigadier Abdul-Rahman Juma Barak Allah, who commands the military force in West Darfur.

Barak Allah originally hails from the town of el-Daein, the capital of East Darfur, and belongs to the Arab tribal militia known as the Janjaweed.

He is one of the longest-serving members of this militia and has witnessed all stages of its evolution, starting from the Darfur war in 2003, during which horrifying massacres were committed, up to the recent conflict.

He also led the street battles at the beginning of the clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, especially in Geneina.

In 2020, the African Messiria tribe in Darfur accused Brigadier Barak Allah of committing violations and restrictions against its members.

In the same year (2020), Barak Allah launched a multi-day attack on the Krinding displaced persons camp on the outskirts of Geneina.

Among the estimated total force of over 100,000 men, approximately 47,000 Rapid Support Forces fighters were counted in Darfur in January 2023.

This number has since decreased as many of them were sent to Khartoum following the outbreak of the current fighting with the army, according to the Africa Intelligence’s report issued on May 2, 2023.