RSF militia assigned to assassinate Darfur tribal leader Musa Hilal: SRAC

October 10, 2017 (KHARTOUM) -The Sudanese Revolutionary Awakening Council (SRAC), headed by tribal chief Musa Hilal, has accused unnamed government circles of plotting to arrest or kill its leader.

Hilal, a former Janjaweed leader, rejects government campaign to collect militia weapons and to merge his Border Guards Forces (BGF) with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a government militia attached to the Sudanese army and led by one of his former aides.

Last month, the RSF said it killed 19 human traffickers and armed gangsters on the Sudanese-Egyptian-Libyan border. However, the SRAC denied the RSF claims, accusing it of “liquidating” 19 of its members including a bodyguard of the Hilal.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune Saturday, the SRAC has accused “influential parties” within the government of “seeking to ignite the flames of sedition and punish Hilal”.

It added that “a well-thought plan has been developed to attack Shiekh Musa Hilal and his people and fighters to liquidate him or bring him dead or alive to Khartoum”.

According to the statement, the execution of the plan was assigned to “an RSF force comprised of 60 four-wheel-drive Land Cruiser vehicles and led by Muhamadain Bishr Argukor and Abdallah Shakhab”, saying the force has force was dispatched from Ambro and Ain Siro areas.

“Now, they are fully ready to attack positions of Shiekh [Hilal] and his fighters. Also, another force including 83 Land Cruiser vehicles has arrived in Kabkabiya and heading towards Nyala as part of the plan” read the statement.

The SRAC underlined its commitment to achieving peace and stability in the region, saying they are calling for a just political cause.

It further stressed full readiness to defend Shiekh Hilal, saying those who delude themselves into thinking of capturing or killing Hilal will be disappointed.

Musa Hilal was designated by the US State Department in 2004 as one of the top Janjaweed leaders running a terror campaign against civilians in Darfur. However, the security agencies gradually distanced their activities from the tribal leader who formed the Border Guards Forces.

He was angered by the formation of the RSF because the government promoted one of his tribe members and military aide, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo aka “Hemeti,” to command this new militia, a move that he considers as a direct threat to his tribal authority.

Hilal left the capital Khartoum in mid-2013 and retreated to his hometown of Misteriya in North Darfur along with his troops and continued blasting the government and the ruling National Congress Party.

In 2014, Hilal’s troops seized control of western localities in North Darfur state including Saraf Omra, Kutum, Kebkabiya, Al-Seraif, and El Waha.

The tribal chief announced the establishment of administrations in these localities, naming his forces SRAC.