Hemetti denounces discriminatory treatment of protesters in Khartoum
November 27, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hametti” Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (SRF), Deputy-Head of the Sovereign Council, on Sunday, denounced the discrimination in the treatment of demonstrators, noting that the authorities were lenient with some and oppressive with others.
Since last September, Hemedti has called for the handing over of power to civilians and denounced the return of Islamists to state apparatus after the October 25, 2021 coup.
His generated a general feeling of disagreement between him and the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Army, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. However, in early October 2022, the latter voiced his support for a draft constitution proposing to restore a fully civilian government and expressed commitment to hand over power to civilians once they strike a deal on the transition.
Nonetheless, in remarks delivered at a meeting of the Native Administrations tribal leaders of West and South Kordofan, Hemetti said that some demonstrators are prevented from reaching the presidential palace, while others are allowed to gather and protest nearly the premises of the collegial presidency.
“A few days ago, protesters reached the Republican Palace where they handed over a memorandum. Protesters since October 25 were seeking to reach the Palace, why did they not reach it? There are others for whom bridges were opened and brought to the Republican Palace, who did that? They are all protesters and they have demands, why differentiate between them, why some are allowed and others are beaten.”
On November 9, dozens of people from the Nuba Mountains demonstrated outside the presidential palace to denounce attacks on civilians in Lagawa in West Kordofan state. Also, the protesters demanded the removal of RSF troops, who are accused of participating in the tribal conflict between the Misseriya and the Nuba.
In order to avoid confusion and to be more precise, there are a handful of people behind these decisions who share common interests, he added.
Sources close to the presidency say that Hemetti’s statements were directed against a member of the Sovereign Council, Shams al-Din Kabbashi who reportedly supported a campaign denouncing the RSF’s violations in “Laqawa”
After the coup, the security forces used to use excessive violence including live ammunition against protesters to prevent them from reaching the presidential palace. The security forces killed 212 protesters and wounded thousands.
Hemetti rejected the accusations that the RSF attacked civilians in Jebel Marra in Darfur and Lagawa in West Kordofan state.
He stated that his forces intervened in Laqawa 3 days after the eruption of intercommunal violence to protect civilians.
“The SPLM-N elements were killing civilians inside the city, so we intervened to protect them,” he said and expressed his support for the formation of an investigation committee to find the causes of the attacks.
In addition, he said that the holdout SPLM-N al-Hilu and SLM-AW have to remain in the areas they control but if they come out of these areas they would be deterred by his forces.
Hemetti’s public statements reflect the power struggle between and disagreement between the leaders of the military component.
It comes against all-Burhan statements about the cohesion of the armed forces, the army and the RSF.
Hametti used the event to repeat that he would not allow Sudan to return to before the fall of the regime of ousted President Omer al-Bashir.
“Whoever wants to return Sudan to before 2018 is wrong,” he said.
“I am, completely, with the solution that is proceeding now, and with the political settlement, which will give everyone their rights. Because it is not reserved for one person at the expense of another,” he said aligning himself with al-Burhan’s recent statements about the need for an inclusive settlement.
(ST)