Sudan’s Burhan fires four army generals for aligning with Hemetti
May 14, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Head of the Sovereign Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese army sacked four generals who were on secondment to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces one month after the outbreak of war in the country.
In a decree issued on Sunday, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan relieved Major General Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, Major General Hassan Mahjoub Al-Fadel Abdel-Hamid, Brigadier General Absher Gibril Balayel, and Brigadier General Omer Hamdan Ahmed Hamad from their positions.
On April 16, al-Burhan ended the assignment of army officers seconded to the RSF and ordered them to return to their respective armies. However, the four generals disobeyed the order and continued to serve in the paramilitary force.
The four dismissed generals held crucial positions within the RSF command structure. Major General Hamid Mohamed was in charge of military operations in the Rapid Support Forces, Major General Al-Fadel Abdel-Hamid served as the director of the RSF Commander’s office, Brigadier General Balayel led the mobile forces that closed Sudan’s border with the Central African Republic in January, and Brigadier General Ahmed Hamad is currently heading the RSF negotiating team in the Jeddah negotiations.
When the leader of the former regime established the RSF, he decided to second over five hundred officers to train and manage the paramilitary force, which was initially designed to combat rebel groups across the country.
Earlier this month, Hemetti stated that he had been betrayed by 480 army officers who were tasked with training his forces shortly after the conflict with the army began. He mentioned that only four generals remained loyal to him.
The fighting between the regular army and the RSF in the Sudanese capital has entered its fifth week, with neither side appearing to achieve a clear victory. Meanwhile, the international community is working towards bringing the two sides to sign a humanitarian truce.
Head of the central bank fired
In a separate development, al-Burhan dismissed the Governor of the Bank of Sudan and froze the accounts of the RSF and its affiliated companies in Sudanese banks.
In a brief decision, al-Burhan relieved Hussein Yahya Jangoul from his position as the Governor of the Bank of Sudan and appointed his deputy, Burai al-Siddiq Ahmed, as the new governor.
(ST)