The commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, “Hemedti,” threatened to form a government in areas under his control, which would be based in Khartoum, in the event that Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced the formation of a “war government” in Port Sudan in the east of the country.
In an audio message published on X on Thursday, Hemedti was heard saying that if the “remnants” (as in supporters of President Al-Bashir’s regime and the Islamists) form a government in Port Sudan, he would immediately begin conducting broad consultations to form a real authority in the areas under his wide and extended control, with Khartoum as its capital.
Hemedti warned against what he called attempts to form a government in one part of Sudan, and considered it a step to divide the country.
He said: “Despite our forces controlling most of Sudan, we have not announced a government, because we are not seeking authority and because we are committed to preserving the unity of Sudan’s land and people.”
Hemedti accused Al-Burhan and the supporters of the former regime and the Muslim Brotherhood of collecting groups of mercenaries, who pose a threat to neighboring countries and the Red Sea.
He called on the political and civil forces “aspiring to peace and democracy to bear their responsibility by standing up to attempts to divide Sudan”, stressing his desire to end the war peacefully and form a legitimate civil authority to run the country.
“We call on all the people of Sudan for a broad dialogue on how to preserve the unity of the country and spare it the scourges of division and the continuation of war, and thwart the plans of the evil remnants.”
Hemedti warned neighboring countries and the regional and international communities of what he called dangerous attempts to divide Sudan and bring in “mercenaries” to participate in the fighting, thus destabilize regional and international security
