Sudan’s Hemedti: We protect democracy, Burhan is an extremist

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has sent a message to the international community, urging them to intervene and stop the “crimes” being committed by the head of the Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, whom he described as an “extremist Islamist”, claiming that the RSF aims to protect democracy and support the rule of law.

In the message, written in English and published on his official Twitter account, Dagalo – known as Hemedti – said: “The international community must take action now and intervene against the crimes of Sudanese General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, a radical Islamist who is bombing civilians from the air. His army is waging a brutal campaign against innocent people, bombing them with MiGs.”

The fight that we are waging now is the price of democracy. We did not attack anyone. Our actions are merely a response to the siege and assault against our forces. We are fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress, for which they have so long yearned. 3/4

— Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (@GeneralDagllo) April 17, 2023

He added: “We are fighting against radical Islamists who hope to keep Sudan isolated and in the dark, and far removed from democracy. We will continue to pursue Al-Burhan and bring him to justice.”

“The fight that we are waging now is the price of democracy. We did not attack anyone. Our actions are merely a response to the siege and assault against our forces. We are fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress, for which they have so long yearned.”

Hemedti, who was deputy head of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, has repeatedly attacked Islamists, accusing army officers of loyalty to Islamists and coordinating with them.

Clashes erupted on Saturday between army units loyal to the head of the Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and Rapid Support Forces led by Hemedti.

These clashes, the first since Al-Burhan and Hemedti collaborated in overthrowing former President Omar Al-Bashir in 2019, were sparked by a dispute over integrating Rapid Support Forces into the army during a transitional phase towards civilian rule.

READ: RSF Commander accuses Sudan Army of bombing civilians