RSF commander vows to continue fight, threatens new offensives
March 15, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – The commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) vowed on Saturday to continue fighting and threatened new offensives, signalling a further escalation in the nearly two-year-old conflict.
In a video statement, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti, said his forces would not withdraw from the presidential palace or the capital, Khartoum. He wore a kadamol head covering, often associated with fighters in the region, for the first time since the conflict began.
Speaking on his Telegram channel, Hemetti said Monday’s 17th of Ramadan marks the anniversary of the RSF’s founding and coincides with the historical Battle of Badr. He said it would be a day of “regret and remorse” for the Sudanese army and its allies.
He instructed his forces to make Monday a “special day,” reiterating that the RSF would remain in the presidential palace, the Al-Mogran district, and Khartoum.
The army has tightened its control around RSF elements in the presidential palace and Al-Mogran after regaining control of most of Khartoum Bahri and large parts of southern Khartoum and Omdurman.
Hemetti said the RSF had undergone significant changes and now had political and military alliances. He warned that future fighting would be different, using the phrase “from every deep ravine,” suggesting a widespread and intense campaign.
He called on a new alliance to work for Sudan’s interests and prevent its division. The RSF, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council, and other political and civil groups recently formed the “Foundational Sudan” alliance in Nairobi, Kenya.
The alliance members agreed to form a parallel government in RSF-controlled areas and signed a transitional constitution. The government is expected to be announced later in March.
Threats to safe havens and supporting nations
Hemetti said countries supporting the Sudanese army, including those providing food supplies, would “pay the price.” He stressed that Sudan would not be allowed to become a centre for terrorism.
He threatened to invade Port Sudan, a city in eastern Sudan used by the army as an administrative centre and a base for UN agencies and diplomatic missions.
Hemetti also threatened to attack the cities of Atbara and Shendi in River Nile State, and Merowe, Al Debbah, and Dongola in Northern State. He said his forces were not targeting the residents of these areas, but rather individuals he described as “criminals.”
The RSF has been accused of committing widespread atrocities in areas under its control, including acts of genocide, mass killings, torture, kidnapping, mass rape, destruction of livelihoods, and looting.
Hemetti criticized army commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan Liberation Movement leader Minni Arko Minnawi, and Justice and Equality Movement leader Gibril Ibrahim, stating that he was monitoring their movements.