K24

The Rapid Support Forces commander said the ongoing conflict in Sudan is a historic battle between a democratic civilian state and Islamist Dictatorship

As Sudan’s devastating war grinds deeper into its third year, Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, cast the conflict as a defining struggle over the country’s future, describing it as a battle between “the project of freedom” and the legacy of Islamist dictatorship.

In a speech delivered on the occasion of Eid al-Adha on Wednesday, Hemedti congratulated Sudanese people inside and outside the country and said this year’s holiday comes at a time when Sudanese citizens have made enormous sacrifices to end the war and build a democratic civilian state.

The RSF commander described the current conflict as a “historic battle” between two opposing projects: the Islamist movement, which he said had ruled Sudan through repression for decades, and what he called the “New Sudan” project founded on freedom, justice, and equal citizenship.

Hemedti accused the Islamist movement and its military wings of destroying state institutions and dragging Sudan into war and division.

According to his remarks, the movement’s project relied on marginalization, racism, and fuelling divisions among Sudan’s communities, while his forces were seeking to establish a state based on justice, peace, and the fair distribution of power and wealth.

He stressed that the war was “not a struggle for power or dominance,” but rather a fight to liberate Sudan from what he described as the “legacy of dictatorship.”

Hemedti also reiterated that his forces would not retreat until the goals of the revolution and the establishment of a just state are achieved.

In another part of his speech, Hemedti called for rebuilding the Sudanese army on what he described as a new professional and national foundation.

He argued that Sudan’s military institution had remained under the dominance of the Islamist movement for decades, saying this had led to the army becoming entangled in politics and being used as a tool of repression.

The RSF commander additionally pledged to establish a state “free from racism, tribalism, and marginalization,” emphasizing that rights and duties should be based solely on citizenship rather than regional or ethnic identity.

Addressing foreign governments and international actors, Hemedti called on the international community and neighboring countries to support what he described as Sudan’s “new national project.”

He also thanked countries and humanitarian organizations that have hosted Sudanese refugees since the outbreak of the conflict.

Concluding his address, Hemedti said Sudan’s future must be built on peace, justice, and accountability, while rejecting any form of collective revenge or tribal discrimination.

The speech comes amid the ongoing conflict that erupted on April 15, 2023, between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army.

According to the information provided, the fighting has displaced more than eight million people internally and outside Sudan, while tens of thousands have been killed or wounded.

Multiple ceasefire efforts mediated by Saudi Arabia have also failed to produce a lasting agreement between the warring sides.