who supports rsf sudan

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That support could now influence the course of the power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo . Cases of infectious diseases and other illness have been reported among displaced populations who have sought shelter in hard-to-reach locations, where health services are limited. A school dropout turned small-time trader, he was a member of the Mahariya clan of the Rizeigat. Nearly 760,000 people uprooted by the fighting have escaped to five neighbouring countries - Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and South Sudan where WHO and partners are supporting national authorities to provide emergency health assistance to them. "[30], During the 2019 Western Libya offensive phase of the Second Libyan Civil War, in July 2019, about 1000 RSF soldiers were present in Libya, supporting the Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar and based in Tobruk, which was fighting against the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) based in Tripoli. In that and two other assaults since, the fighters went on a rampage of burning and killing that reduced large parts of the city of more than half a million people to wreckage, according to footage shared by activists. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have agreed to extend their cease-fire by 72 hours. The senior officials were responding to the outbreak of armed clashes between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in many parts of the capital Khartoum and other. This will significantly increase the health needs and exert huge pressure on the available health facilities, he added. It was made into the RSF in 2013, and its forces were used as border guards in particular. The influence of outside players has loomed over events in Sudan since the overthrow of former leader Omar al-Bashir during a popular uprising four years ago. As General Hamdans influence grew, along with his aspirations to lead the country, the two generals became enemies. Experts and Western officials estimate the R.S.F. Who are the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitaries fighting Sudans Army? [14][15][16] On 15 April 2023, fighting broke out between RSF and the SAF after RSF mobilized its forces in cities across Sudan, including in Darfur. By this time, the RSF's strength had grown tenfold. RSF troops fought against rebels in South Kordofan - they were undisciplined and did not do well - and against rebels in Darfur, where they did better. [42], The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors reported Janjaweed/RSF shooting dead nine people in the market of the village al-Dalij (or al-Delig) in Central Darfur on 10[43] or 11/12[44] June 2019. RSF forces claim to have occupied Khartoum International Airport and other areas in Khartoum. The RSF are now the real ruling power in Sudan. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/world/africa/paramilitary-rsf-explainer.html. Video, 00:17:58Sudans livestream massacre, The fashion police who are shaving off afros, The warlord who may control Sudans future, 'Nubian queen' becomes Sudan protest symbol, Rivals' silence shows Trump's dominance in 2024 race, Niger coup: EU suspends security cooperation, Wagner could pose as migrants to enter EU - Poland PM, Extraordinary photos of July's extreme weather, Watch: BBC editor's life in Russia since 2022 on piano. One brigade, active in southern Darfur, included a particularly dynamic young fighter, Mohamed Dagalo, known as "Hemedti" because of his baby-faced looks - Hemedti being a mother's endearing term for "Little Mohamed". East African powers Ethiopia and Kenya also hold some sway due to their prominent role in regional diplomacy and previous mediation in Sudan. In addition, disease surveillance is being stepped up to guide prevention and enable early detection of potential outbreaks, and national authorities are receiving technical support to strengthen the emergency health response. "They were looking for men. [24][27], According to a report by Al Araby TV, there are allegations of a connection between the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, and Hemetti. Wagner said on April 19 that it was no longer operating in Sudan. Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, dressed in military fatigues, greets his supporters near Khartoum, Sudan, in 2019. mercenaries for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. The fighting, which began on Saturday, has killed at least 56 civilians, the Sudanese Doctors Union said in a statement. Al-Nour and her three children now live in a school-turned-refugee housing inside Chad, among more than 260,000 Sudanese, mostly women and children. It is no surprise that he moved swiftly to take the place of his fallen patron. Here is what you need to know about the RSF: The group evolved from so-called Janjaweed militias, which fought in a conflict in the 2000s in the Darfur region, where they were used by the government of long-ruling President Omar al-Bashir to help the army put down a rebellion. Although the attacks on health facilities and the widespread insecurity are compounding the challenges, were determined to reach those most in need and urge for increased donor support to ensure that we deliver adequately, said Dr. Nima. Yet relief workers are not spared from the horrendous acts of violence and abuse. [18], RSF has its roots in the Janjaweed militias used by the Sudanese Government in its attempts to fight the anti-government insurgency during the War in Darfur. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Weeks before the attack, the RSF's commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, said he had refused an order by Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, to open fire on the thousands of . The United States and Saudi Arabia had mediated the truce on humanitarian grounds. As it steps up its diplomatic ambitions across the Middle East, Riyadh has asserted itself in mediating over Sudan while also looking to protect its economic ambitions in the Red Sea region, said Anna Jacobs, Senior Gulf Analyst with Crisis Group. Leaked documents and sources reportedly indicate that the Wagner Group has provided training and equipment, including armored vehicles and helicopter gunships, to Hemetti's forces. What happened during the 3 June massacre? The RSF was born out of the Janjaweed militias that during the conflict in the 2000s were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities against Darfur's African communities. Chad alone is now hosting more than a quarter of a million people, with an equal number projected to arrive by the end of the year, said Dr. Jean-Bosco Ndihokubwayo, WHO Representative in the country. BBC News Russia's Wagner mercenary force is accused of having various commercial and military ties to Sudan, but the group denies any involvement in the current conflict in the country. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo. ", "Sudan: Remove Rapid Support Forces from Khartoum streets immediately", "Sudanese doctors say dozens of people raped during sit-in attack", "Sudanese Rapid Support Forces Are Targeting Hospitals, Peaceful Sit-In; Dozens of Civilians Reported Killed", "Sudan army, protesters to resume talks on transitional council", " "" ", "Sudan clashes kill at least 25 in power struggle between army, paramilitaries", "Sudan: Army and RSF battle over key sites, leaving 56 civilians dead", "Day-long ceasefire agreed in Sudan after intense international mediation", "Sudan conflict: UK begins evacuation of British nationals amid cease-fire", "The UAE sold arms to both warring parties in Sudan", " " " "" ! 2023 BBC. On its social media, the paramilitary force characterised the fighting in Darfur as renewed tribal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs, but made no official comment. Another 72-hour nationwide cease-fire had been announced from midnight, 24 April 2023. Alex de Waal is the executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Sudans livestream massacre. In April 2019, the RSF participated in a military coup that removed al-Bashir after months of demonstrations against his 30-year rule. RSF and other Sudanese security forces, participating in the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen alongside Saudi and Emirati forces,[31] have killed civilians and destroyed infrastructure, for which they are suspected of war crimes by Human Rights Watch. [2], RSF was estimated by Human Rights Watch as having about 5,0006,000 soldiers in February 2014 in Darfur. In a 2015 report, Human Rights Watch described its forces as men with no mercy. Training camps were set up near the capital, Khartoum. Over 36 tonnes of supplies have been shipped to Chad and an emergency medical team has been deployed to the country. Its command structure didn't change: all are Darfurian Arabs, its generals sharing the Dagalo name. [7], RSF is administered by the National Intelligence and Security Service, while during military operations is commanded by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Later, a faction of the militant Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, also fought . Hundreds of Land Cruiser pick-up trucks were imported and fitted out with machine guns. [32][33][34][35] Saudi Arabia organised and financed this involvement, which brought financial resources to the RSF. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. By the time Mr Bashir was ousted in April, Hemedti was one of the richest men in Sudan - probably with more ready cash than any other politician - and was at the centre of a web of patronage, secret security deals, and political payoffs. WHO and partners have identified and treated more than 1,400 trauma cases there, including over 60 major surgeries. As the UN-African Union peacekeeping force drew down in Darfur, the RSF took over their camps - until the UN put a halt to the withdrawal. As the RSF became more prominent and its role in the countrys security affairs grew, Dagalos business interests prospered with help from al-Bashir. Its members include former military and intelligence officers, according to Roland Marchal, a sociologist at Sciences Po University in Paris and an expert on civil wars in Africa. [29] Both Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Sudan's military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had ties to the Putin regime in Russia. ", "Opinion | The Princes Who Want to Destroy Any Hope for Arab Democracy", "Refworld | Sudan's Controversial Rapid Support Forces Bolster Saudi Efforts in Yemen", "Met police look at allegations of Saudi war crimes in Yemen", "Sudan conflict: Hemedti the warlord who built a paramilitary force more powerful than the state", "#Sudan: the footage shows how bricks of cement were tied to the bodies in order to make them sink to the bodum of the #Nile so they could never be found. Hemedti and his fighters mutinied, promising to fight Khartoum "until judgement day", and tried to cut a deal with the Darfur rebels. On July 13, the UNHuman Rights Office said a mass grave was found outside Geneina with at least 87 bodies, citing credible information. Almost all interviewees said the military and other rebel groups in the region failed to provide protection to civilians. The RSF appears to be taking advantage of an international response to the crisis that is prioritising resolution between the warring generals - Hemedti and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of. But a few months later, the UAE struck a parallel deal with Hemedti to send a much larger force of RSF fighters, for combat in south Yemen and along the Tahama plain - which includes the port city of Hudaydah, the scene of fierce fighting last year. Some say that his grandfather was a junior chief when they resided in Chad. On June 12 . Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the U.S. was urging Sudan's military chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of the RSF, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Degalo, to "take. "There is an emerging pattern of large-scale targeted attacks against civilians based on their ethnic identities," said Volker Perthes, the UNenvoy in Sudan. The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS. Led by the United States, they supported a new transition deal that was meant to be finalised in early April. [44], On 15 April 2023, fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF broke out after RSF mobilised in cities across Sudan. In 2021, Gen Dagalo joined Gen Al Burhan in staging a military coup that derailed Sudan's democratic transition, toppling a civilian-led government that was making progress, albeit small and slow, in overhauling the country's chronically woeful economy and preparing for free elections. [8], RSF has participated in the Yemeni Civil War (2015present), supporting the pro-Hadi forces. In a Tweet posted later in the day, the Secretary-Generals Spokesperson wrote that Mr. Guterres had spoken to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt and Moussa Faki Mahamat, the President of the African Union, on how to de-escalate the situation. In a Tweet, Mr. Griffiths said that more violence would only makes things worse for the nearly 16 million people, around a third of the population, in need of humanitarian aid. Although the EU consistently denies it, many Sudanese believe that this gave license to the RSF to police the border, extracting bribes, levies and ransoms - and doing its share of trafficking too.