On Thursday, the Sudanese army warned of the danger of confrontation after the movements and mobilization of the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo in the capital Khartoum and other cities, indicating an escalation of tension between the two competing forces and a potential complication of steps to restore civil rule. Below are details about the Rapid Support Forces and their rise to prominence:
The Rapid Support Forces are headed by Lieutenant General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who currently serves as the deputy head of the transitional Sovereign Council. Analysts estimate the number of Rapid Support Forces personnel to be around 100,000, with bases spread throughout the country. They emerged from what is known as the Janjaweed militia, which fought in the early 2000s in the conflict in Darfur and was used by the then-ruling Omar Bashir regime to assist the army in suppressing rebellion. At least 2.5 million people were displaced, and a total of 300,000 were killed in the conflict, with the Janjaweed militia accused of widespread human rights violations.
Over time, the forces grew and were used particularly as border guards to tighten restrictions on irregular migration. Additionally, Dagalo’s business enterprises expanded with Bashir's assistance, and his family increased their holdings in gold mining, cattle, and infrastructure.
Starting in 2015, the Rapid Support Forces began cooperating with the Sudanese army to send troops to participate in the war in Yemen alongside Saudi and Emirati forces, which allowed Dagalo, also known as Hemeti, to establish relations with Gulf powers.
In 2017, a law was enacted granting the Rapid Support Forces the status of an independent security force. Military sources stated that the army leadership has long expressed concerns about the growth of Hemeti's forces and refused to integrate them into its ranks.
In April 2019, the Rapid Support Forces participated in the military coup that ousted Bashir. Later that year, Hemeti signed a power-sharing agreement that made him the deputy head of the transitional Sovereign Council led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Before the signing in 2019, the Rapid Support Forces were accused of being involved in the killing of dozens of pro-democracy protesters. Soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces were also accused of engaging in tribal violence, leading Hemeti to remove the immunity of some of them to allow for prosecution.
The Rapid Support Forces participated in the October 2021 coup that disrupted the transition to elections. In 2022, Dagalo visited Russia on the eve of its invasion of Ukraine and expressed openness to building a Russian base on the Red Sea coast. The Sudanese army and pro-democracy groups have demanded the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the army, making negotiations on this matter a source of tension that hindered the signing process originally scheduled for April 1.
