Hemedti Says Regrets Participating in Military Coup in Sudan

Deputy head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo during the press conference (Reuters)
Deputy head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo during the press conference (Reuters)
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Hemedti Says Regrets Participating in Military Coup in Sudan

Deputy head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo during the press conference (Reuters)
Deputy head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo during the press conference (Reuters)

Deputy head of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereign Council Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo acknowledged on Sunday that he had made a mistake in participating in the October 25, 2021 coup.

Dagalo made his statement shortly after head of the Sovereign Council, army commander, Lt-Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said the army had carried out the coup for the sake of the country.

It was the first time that Burhan described the incident as a coup. He had previously referred to it as "military measures to correct the course of the revolution."

In an address to the Sudanese people, Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, said he supported the 2018 revolution that ousted longtime President Omar al-Bashir and his regime.

The coup, he said, became a gateway for the reinstatement of members of the regime.

Hemedti, who leads the Rapid Support Forces, warned members of the regime against trying to drive a wedge between the army and its forces.

It was this situation that prompted him to leave politics and to hand over power to civilians, he explained.

He said that he had made this pledge to Burhan and that he would not back down from it.

Moreover, Hemedti said he was committed to the framework agreement, aimed at forming a unified army, according to the agreed timetables and engage in security and military reform processes.

He said the Sudanese Armed Forces is a long-established institution, which will not be exploited by any party. The framework agreement has laid a solid foundation to restore the state.

The agreement is a package that must be implemented in full, asserted Hemedti, adding that it was the only way to reach a fair and just political solution that takes end the current chaos in the country.

The signatories to the agreement are trying to persuade other forces to join the political process, he added.

Hemedti said it was time to end the political process, reach a final and urgent solution to form a transitional civil authority, and return the military back to the barracks so that it can devote itself to protecting borders and national security.

He reiterated his determination that the final political agreement was an entry point to reviving the stalled Juba Peace Agreement, completing the peace process, implementing all its provisions related to the return of the displaced and refugees, and providing them with the necessary protection.

Furthermore, he stated that the solution to the economic crisis depends on political stability and the formation of a civil government. He also appealed to the international and regional community to support the new government in Sudan.

Hemedti praised the efforts of the tripartite mechanism, consisting of the African Union (AU), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and United Nations. He also lauded the Quartet mechanism and the "troika" group, comprised of Saudi Arabia, the US, the UAE, Britain, and Norway.



UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
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UN Says ‘Deliberate’ Choices ‘Systematically’ Depriving Gazans

04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)
04 June 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusirat: Displaced Palestinians gather in a charity kitchen to receive aid amid a shortage of food, in Nuseirat refugee camp. (Belal Abu Amer/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa)

The UN aid chief said Wednesday that recent "horrifying scenes" of Gazans being killed while seeking food aid were the result of "deliberate choices that have systematically deprived" them of essentials to survive.

A US and Israeli-backed group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the temporary closure of its facilities on Wednesday, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centers were "considered combat zones".

The announcement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation follows a string of deadly incidents near the distribution sites it operates.

On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation.

"The world is watching, day after day, horrifying scenes of Palestinians being shot, wounded or killed in Gaza while simply trying to eat," UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.

"Emergency medical teams have confirmed treating hundreds of trauma cases. Yesterday alone, dozens were declared dead at hospitals after Israeli forces said they had opened fire.

"This is the outcome of a series of deliberate choices that have systematically deprived two million people of the essentials they need to survive."

He echoed the call by UN chief Antonio Guterres for immediate independent investigations, saying they were not isolated incidents, and the perpetrators must be held accountable.

"No-one should have to risk their life to feed their children," said Fletcher.

The GHF began operations a week ago, but the UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.

Meanwhile the United Nations has described the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, after Israel partially lifted a more than two-month total blockade, as a trickle.

"We must be allowed to do our jobs: we have the teams, the plan, the supplies and the experience," said Fletcher, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.

"Open the crossings -- all of them. Let in life-saving aid at scale, from all directions. Lift the restrictions on what and how much aid we can bring in.

"Ensure our convoys aren't held up by delays and denials. Release the hostages. Implement the ceasefire."