Sudan: Thousands killed in West Darfur capital city, as ethnic violence It spread to other parts of the country, but in Darfur it took on a different form brutal attacks by the RSF and its allied Arab militias on civilians, survivors and rights workers say. [1/5]Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meets Sudan's Sovereign Council Chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, at Cairo International Airport, Egypt September 25, 2022, in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. In the same year, the group was granted the status of a regular force. As violence escalated in South Darfur, leaders of the Beni Halba, Tarjam, Habaniya, Fallata, Misseriya, Taaysha, and Rizeigat communities in the state declared their support for the RSF on 3 July - a move that could tip the balance of power in the conflict. ", "Sudan: Former President al-Bashir denied bail in corruption trial", "Exclusive: Evidence emerges of Russia's Wagner arming militia leader battling Sudan's army", "Wagner in Sudan: What have Russian mercenaries been up to? 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. All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. International Criminal Court prosecutors accused government officials and militia commanders of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Dagalo was born into an impoverished family that settled in Darfur in the 1980s. Sudanese women fleeing Geneina, Darfur, mourn their relative, who according to them was killed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as they are reunited with family . Sudanese-born men and women are estimated to make up about10 per cent of people held in Australia's immigration detention facilities, and for most of them,there's little hope of leaving thegated compounds. This will significantly increase the health needs and exert huge pressure on the available health facilities, he added. World leaders unite to call for cease-fire as battles rage for second WHO has so far verified 51 attacks on health facilities, resulting in 10 deaths and 24 injuries - and cutting off access to urgently needed care. On Tuesday Egypt's foreign ministry received an envoy for Burhan. [20], In November 2017, Hemetti used RSF to take over control of gold mines in the Darfur region, which led to him becoming one of the richest people in Sudan by 2019. * Over time the forces grew, and were used as border guards in particular to clamp down on irregular migration. A school dropout turned small-time trader, he was a member of the Mahariya clan of the Rizeigat. They want to eliminate us," said Malek Harun, a 62-year-old farmer who survived an attack in May on his village of Misterei, near Geneina. Fighters stormed houses, driving out residents, taking men away and burning their homes, they said. 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. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; Arabic: , romanized:Quwwt ad-dam as-sar) are paramilitary forces formerly operated by the Government of Sudan. His family expanded its holdings in gold mining, livestock and infrastructure. The true number of cases of sexual violence are likely in the thousands, said Sulima Ishaq Sharif, head of the unit. Sudan residents describe raids, evictions by RSF soldiers [28] The Sudanese government has denied any connection to the Wagner Group, and the reports suggest that Hemetti may be using his position in the Sovereign Council to establish ties with the Russian company. In 2013, a new paramilitary force was formed under Hemedti and called the RSF. Clashes erupted on Saturday in Sudan's capital Khartoum between the country's military and the powerful Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, in what appears to be an attempted coup. The RSF said the commander should be the civilian head of state, a situation the army rejects. Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, 'Exiled' Prigozhin hails Niger coup, touts Wagner services, End of Nigerian fuel subsidy set to squeeze Europe's refiners, Niger loses aid as Western countries condemn coup, African leaders tell Putin: 'We have a right to call for peace', Turkey urges Denmark to take urgent action to prevent Koran burnings, India lets firms list on Modi's flagship finance hub to draw foreign capital, Colombia proposes 502.6 trillion pesos 2024 budget, Mexican president says Israel's Netanyahu showed interest in missing students case, India's rice planting gathers pace as monsoon rains revive. Factbox: Who are Sudan's Rapid Support Forces? | Reuters 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. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. KHARTOUM, April 13 (Reuters) - Sudan's army warned on Thursday of a risk of confrontation after mobilisations by a powerful paramilitary group, underlining growing strains between the rival. Are you on Telegram? In addition to the Darfur region, the RSF was deployed to states such as South Kordofan and the Blue Nile, where it was accused of committing human rights abuses. Fighting erupted in the capital Khartoum in mid-April between the military and the RSF after years of growing tensions. In 2015, the RSF along with Sudans army began sending troops to fight in the war in Yemen alongside Saudi and Emirati forces. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. (Nairobi) - Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), acting without lawful authority, arbitrarily detained dozens of civilians, including political activists, in the capital, Khartoum during 2020,. WHO has so far verified 51 attacks on health facilities, resulting in 10 deaths and 24 injuries - and cutting off access to urgently needed care. Clashes between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group involved exchanges of gunfire in Khartoum and other parts of the country on Saturday, in an apparent. Sudan unrest: What are the Rapid Support Forces? - Al Jazeera [1/5]Shells are seen on the ground near damaged buildings at the central market during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan.April 27, 2023 . The most important regional ally for Hemedti before the conflict was the United Arab Emirates. Analysts have estimated the RSF to have about 100,000 fighters. Dagalo and al-Burhan reportedly remain at odds over who would be the commander-in-chief of the military during a multiyear integration period. Refugees flee Sudan's Darfur to Chad | Reuters.com Its command structure didn't change: all are Darfurian Arabs, its generals sharing the Dagalo name. 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. [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. But who ar. In some cases, they would kill the men and rape women and often shot people fleeing in the streets, Ms al-Nour and other survivors said. During the 2003-2005 Darfur war and massacres, the most infamous Janjaweed leader was Musa Hilal, chief of the Mahamid. * The RSF is commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who currently holds the position of deputy head of Sudan's ruling Sovereign Council, and who is commonly known as Hemedti. The conflict in Sudan has sparked a health crisis for the 3.4 million people forced to flee to safety, whether within the country or across its borders, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. He joined The Times in 2019 after covering East Africa for Quartz for three years. * Before the signing in 2019, activists accused the RSF of participating in killing dozens of pro-democracy protesters. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo. By this time, the RSF's strength had grown tenfold. RSF atrocities pile up in Darfur after 100 days of Sudan fighting Although Hemedti's commanders are all from his own Mahariya clan, he has been ready to enlist men of all ethnic groups. "They were looking for men. Some say that his grandfather was a junior chief when they resided in Chad. Burhan's most important backer is Egypt, which shares a border with Sudan that more than 40,000 people have crossed since the fighting began. An armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), rival factions of the military government of Sudan, began on 15 April 2023, with the fighting concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. Most refugees have headed to Chad, which is receiving an average of 2,500 arrivals daily. The conflict has brought open warfare to Sudan's capital Khartoum and sparked new unrest in the western region of Darfur, displacing hundreds of thousands of people within Sudan and sending 100,000 fleeing across its borders. [14][15][16] During the first day of Eid al-Fitr in Sudan, in June 2019, there were reports that RSF tied bricks of cement to the bodies of dead protestors to make them sink to the bottom of the Nile and never be found. Who leads the RSF and how large is the group. [32][33][34][35] Saudi Arabia organised and financed this involvement, which brought financial resources to the RSF. However, in a Security Council briefing on 20 March, Volker Perthes, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), warned that tensions between the Sudanese Army and the RSF have risen in recent weeks, and called for de-escalation. A documentary shot during this time, called Meet the Janjaweed, shows him recruiting volunteers from Darfur's black African Fur ethnic group into his army, to fight alongside his Arabs, their former enemies. Mr. Guterres also raised concerns over the devastating impact that any further escalation in the fighting would have on civilians, further aggravating the already precarious humanitarian situation in the country. Still, the R.S.F. 11 Radio Dabanga, 'Public support for the RSF from seven tribal leaders in South . During the second week of fighting in Khartoum, the RSF and militias stormed Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, located near the Chad border. Sudan | Situation Reports - OCHA WHO and partners have identified and treated more than 1,400 trauma cases there, including over 60 major surgeries. South Sudan hosted peace talks between the Sudanese state and rebel groups in recent years, and was designated as one of the countries that could host talks over the current crisis. The RSF is commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, or Little Mohamad. The RSF, an independent Sudanese military force, grew out of the Janjaweed militia, formerly active in the Darfur region of the country. Sudan's military leader ready to take any step to end paramilitary With Saudi Help, One of the Killer Commanders There Is Taking Over Sudan", "No, it's not over for the Sudanese revolution", "Fighter jets seen above Khartoum amid gunfire in Sudan's capital live", "Sudan crisis: Air strikes launched against paramilitaries as clashes escalate", "Calls for probe into Iran toxic waste dumped in Eritrea", "British domestic politics clash with human rights in the Horn of Africa", "Sudan crisis: The ruthless mercenaries who run the country for gold", "Exposing the RSF's secret financial network", "The soft-power campaign of Sudan's RSF leader 'Hemedti', "As war rages in Sudan, countries angle for advantage", "Exclusive: Sudan militia leader grew rich by selling gold", "Sudan: Hemeti and the $16bn annual gold exports to the UAE", "Sheikh Mohamed meets deputy chairman of Sudan's Sovereignty Council", " " ".. ", "Russia, Wagner Group expand ties with Sudan Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East", "The two generals fighting in Sudan helped Putin plunder the country's gold to fund Russia's war in Ukraine", "Sudan unrest: What are the Rapid Support Forces? The purpose of this letter is not just to demonstrate . The Russian company is alleged to have provided security services during Hemetti's visit to Russia in 2018. [40], In addition to the killings in Khartoum, other human rights violations during the 201819 crisis have been attributed to RSF, including the rape of 70 male and female protesters during the Khartoum massacre and the following days;[41][10] the targeting of peaceful sit-ins;[42] and attacks on hospitals. The RSF is a paramilitary force that was established in 2013 under the Sudanese intelligence bureau, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) ( Sudan Tribune, June 11, 2014 ). Adel Abdel Ghafar, a fellow at the Middle East Council, said the RSF has resisted integration into the army, understanding it would lose its power.. Fears in Sudan as army and paramilitary force face off Sudan expert Alex de Waal charts their rise. According to Sudanese diplomats, his closest ally in the Emirates is the country's vice president, Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. fought on behalf of the Sudanese Army, until its outgrown influence and the ambitions of its leader, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, put the two sides in direct confrontation. News Sudan unrest: What are the Rapid Support Forces? Hemedti has moved fast, politically and commercially. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been accused of widespread abuses in Sudan, including the 3 June 2019 massacre in which more than 120 people were reportedly killed, with many of the dead . https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/17/world/africa/paramilitary-rsf-explainer.html. The RSF was created in mid-2013 to militarily defeat rebel armed groups throughout Sudan. [22], In December 2019, a Global Witness investigation into RSF and Al Junaid argued that RSF and Al Junaid are closely linked in terms of financial transactions. Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. A statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General noted the UN chiefs call for the leaders of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm and initiate a dialogue to resolve the current crisis, and for Member States in the region to support efforts to restore order and return to the path of transition to civilian rule. He currently holds the position of deputy head of Sudans ruling Sovereign Council. Sudan exclusive: Evidence emerges of Russia's Wagner arming militia Who are the Rapid Support Forces, the paramilitaries fighting Sudans Army? [8], According to Reuters, as of 2023, the force numbers 100,000 people. Who are Sudan's RSF and their commander Hemedti? On Friday the U.S.-based Sudan Conflict Observatory reported that the RSF and aligned forces had allegedly carried out the targeted destruction of at least 26 communities in Darfur, forcibly . The RSF are now the real ruling power in Sudan. Sudanese visitors are scrambling to find a way to remain in Australia,as violence and unrestin Sudan cuts off their path back home. Live updates: Sudan paramilitary and army clash - CNN International 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. KHARTOUM, April 13 (Reuters) - Here are some facts about Sudan's main paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, which said on Saturday it had taken control of the presidential palace and the country's international airport in an apparent coup attempt. [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. Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. The report detailed three main waves of attacks on Geneina and surrounding areas in April, May, and June, which it said aimed at "ethnically cleansing and committing genocide against African civilians". "Men With No Mercy": Rapid Support Forces Attacks against Civilians in As these fighters proved their bloody efficacy, Mr Bashir formalised them into a paramilitary force called the Border Intelligence Units. [10][11] Its actions in Darfur qualify as crimes against humanity according to Human Rights Watch. The Rapid Support Forces ( RSF; Arabic: , romanized : Quwwt ad-dam as-sar) are paramilitary forces formerly operated by the Government of Sudan. In the 19th Century, mercenary freebooters ranged across what are now Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic, publicly swearing allegiance to the Khedive of Egypt but also setting up and ruling their own private empires. An estimated 2.5 million people were displaced and 300,000 killed in the conflict. The UAE has aggressively sought to roll back Islamist influence across the region. Rapid Support Forces - Wikipedia Israel, which had been hoping to move forward in normalising ties with Sudan, has also offered to host talks. East African powers Ethiopia and Kenya also hold some sway due to their prominent role in regional diplomacy and previous mediation in Sudan. Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile. The RSF is commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who currently holds the position of deputy head of Sudan's ruling Sovereign. Before signing the deal, activists accused the RSF of participating in killing dozens of pro-democracy protesters. RSF-Wagner joint mining activities reportedly helped build up gold reserves in the Russian Central Bank, which was essential for Moscow in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine. 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. [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. On one recent occasion the RSF absorbed a breakaway faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) - led by Mohamedein Ismail "Orgajor", an ethnic Zaghawa - another Darfur community which had been linked to the rebels. Western diplomats in Khartoum said in 2022 that Russia's Wagner Group was involved in illicit gold mining in Sudan and was spreading disinformation. Western powers swung behind a transition towards elections as the military shared power with civilians after Bashir's overthrow, offering direct financial support that was frozen when Burhan and Hemedti staged a coup in 2021. He now lives in Dakar, Senegal. The army chief of staff did not like it - he wanted the money to go to strengthening the regular forces - and Mr Bashir was worried about putting too much power in the hands of NISS, having just fired its director for allegedly conspiring against him. In the desert markets of Tibesti in northern Chad, a 1.5kg (3.3lb) of unwrought gold was bartered for a 2015 model Land Cruiser, probably stolen from an aid agency in Darfur, which was then driven back to Darfur, fitted out with hand-painted licence plates and resold. UN chief and officials condemn fighting between Sudanese forces Today, this semi-lettered market trader and militiaman is more powerful than any army general or civilian leader in Sudan. Sudan war enters 100th day as mediation attempts fail | Reuters #SudanUprising", "He says, "some people were beaten to death and thrown in the Nile, some shot multiple times and thrown in the Nile and others were hacked with machetes and thrown in the Nile. Article Sudan was on the verge of civil war Saturday after a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it seized control of the presidential palace and two international. Meanwhile, the UN is sending its top humanitarian envoy amid the "unprecedented" situation. In tandem, Hemedti's business interests grew with help from Bashir, and his family expanded holdings in gold mining, livestock and infrastructure. Two decades ago, Darfur became synonymous with genocide and war crimes, particularly by the notorious Janjaweed Arab militias against populations that identify as Central or East African. In 2021, General Hamdan and the army chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, staged another coup, and, until Saturday, the two had been sharing power. Critics say the U.S. was too lenient with the generals. Hemedti removed immunity from some, allowing for their prosecution.