Hemedti Interview Reveals Rift Within Sudan Government

Deputy chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. (AFP)
Deputy chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. (AFP)
TT
20

Hemedti Interview Reveals Rift Within Sudan Government

Deputy chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. (AFP)
Deputy chairman of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. (AFP)

Deputy chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (“Hemedti”) accused parties in the transitional authority of conspiring against and demonizing Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which he commands. He also denied deploying forces to Libya.

Observers believe that Hemedti’s statements indicates the existence of a rift within the ruling coalition in Sudan.

This was not the first time Hemedti talked about the systematic targeting of his forces. He formerly accused several parties of seeking to remove his forces’ from the capital, Khartoum, and from the political equation in a plan to depose the incumbent civil transitional government.

In a May 24 interview broadcast on Sudan 24 TV channel, Hemedti revealed that the RSF had confronted a plot led by forces outside the security taskforces charged with crackdown on the protest in front of the General Command of the army in Khartoum on April 11.

He vowed to expose many hidden facts about the forces that partook in breaking the sit-in after the results of ongoing special investigations into the June 3, 2019 events are concluded. Hundreds were killed and many were injured during the unrest.

Hemedti also denied the presence of RSF units in Libya. Some parties had promoted the notion that RSF members had headed to Libya to fight as mercenaries.

Hemedti revealed, however, holding mediations between warring parties in Libya with the aim of ending the conflict, but they were rejected.

Sudanese political analyst Abdullah Rizk points out that the rift is widening within the ruling political coalition. This ushers in a new phase for rearranging the forces forming the transitional authority.

“The current situation is unstable, and Hemedti’s frequent appearances do not hide his fears of a conspiracy against him. Some are trying to blame him for breaking up the sit-in,” he said.

Rizk believes that the massacre that took place against protestors has contributed to spurring disputes among military ranks and reflects the fragility of the alliance between the military and civilians in the transitional authority.



Hezbollah Chief Says Israel Must Fully Withdraw from Lebanon by February 18

 A photo taken from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Hamam shows smoke rising after an explosion during an Israeli army operation in the village of Kfar Shouba near the border on February 16, 2024. (AFP)
A photo taken from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Hamam shows smoke rising after an explosion during an Israeli army operation in the village of Kfar Shouba near the border on February 16, 2024. (AFP)
TT
20

Hezbollah Chief Says Israel Must Fully Withdraw from Lebanon by February 18

 A photo taken from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Hamam shows smoke rising after an explosion during an Israeli army operation in the village of Kfar Shouba near the border on February 16, 2024. (AFP)
A photo taken from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Hamam shows smoke rising after an explosion during an Israeli army operation in the village of Kfar Shouba near the border on February 16, 2024. (AFP)

The head of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said on Sunday that Israeli troops must withdraw from Lebanese territory in full by a February 18 deadline, saying it had "no pretext" to maintain a military presence in any post in southern Lebanon.

Under a truce brokered by Washington in November, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground offensive against fighters from Iran-backed Hezbollah since early October.

That deadline was later extended to February 18, but Israel's military requested that it keep troops in five posts in southern Lebanon, sources told Reuters last week.

In a recorded televised speech, Hezbollah secretary general Naim Qassem said: "Israel must withdraw completely on Feb. 18, it has no pretext, no five points or other details... this is the agreement."

Qassem said any Israeli military presence on Lebanese soil after February 18 would be considered an occupying force.

"Everyone knows how an occupation is dealt with," Qassem said, without explicitly threatening that his group would resume attacks against Israel.

Israel's public broadcaster said on Wednesday the US had authorized a "long term" Israeli troop presence in southern Lebanon.

During the broadcast of Qassem's speech, at least three Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley. Israel's military said it conducted strikes after identifying Hezbollah activity at sites containing rocket launchers and other weapons.

Qassem also called on the Lebanese government to reconsider its ban on Iranian flights landing in Beirut.

Lebanese authorities banned the flights from landing until February 18 following Israeli accusations that Tehran was using civilian aircraft to smuggle cash to Beirut to arm Hezbollah.

The decision stranded dozens of Lebanese nationals in Iran, where they had been on a religious pilgrimage with plans to return via Iran's Mahan Air. Lebanon sent two of its own planes to retrieve them, but Iran barred them from landing in Tehran.

Hezbollah organized a protest outside Beirut airport on Saturday, where its supporters were tear gassed by Lebanese troops.

Qassem described Lebanon's ban on Iranian planes as "the implementation of an Israeli order".

"Let the plane land and we will see what Israel will do," he said.