Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Western press' characterization. May as well have called him a camel jockey.
[REGNUM] A former Sudanese warlord nicknamed Hamedti commands a force comparable in size to the country's army. Having made his fortune in the illegal export of gold, he remained only a "toxic" leader of a remote region. And now, having led another military coup, he promises to put an end to the current leadership of the country in the coming days.
On Saturday, April 15, in the middle of Ramadan, the Sudanese woke up to the sound of heavy guns and incessant gunfire in Khartoum. The event is incredible for one of the most religious countries in Africa and at the same time expected.
Contradictions between military leaders have been building up for a long time and appear to have been provoked by outside forces. At the moment, active clashes are taking place between two groups of the military: the Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) and the Sudanese army itself.
The information comes in contradictory, and it is too early to judge which of the parties will be the winner. The clashes have already drawn condemnation from officials in Africa, Europe and the US, as well as at the United Nations.
HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT
Military coups in Africa are common. In Sudan, this is the third coup in two years and the sixth since independence in 1956 (and there were 12 coup attempts and 17 thwarted plots).
The former world-famous ruler of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, relied on the army and religious radicals represented by theologians and his own party.
In April 2019, after prolonged mass protests in the country, the Sudanese army actually betrays al-Bashir, takes control of the presidential palace, and puts him under arrest. Formal power in the country passes for the first time to a truly secular and civil leader, Abdallah Hamdok.
However, civil leaders in the person of the transitional government do not receive full power, and the constitutional order in the country does not come.
In October 2021, after another coup, the military is already seriously taking power into their own hands. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, previously little known to external observers, becomes Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan.
During the coup, the general, which is important, was supported by the commander of the RRF, Muhammad Hamdan Daglo, nicknamed Hamedti , who actually became the second person in the state and took the post of vice president of the Sovereign Council of Sudan.
A significant moment was the fact that the new authorities, as it seemed at that moment, managed to put an end to the eternal strife between civilians and the military (in favor of the latter) and, most importantly, managed to retain power under strong external pressure.
The US, the European Union, the Arab League and the African Union (AU) condemned the coup in the early days. The prospect of Sudan's debt reduction, the agreement with the IMF and the World Bank, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian aid, were at stake.
Only Russia spoke out at the UN against calling the events in Sudan a coup. And the resolution of the UN Security Council in the end really turned out to be softer. Russia's position was also supported by China, which has a wide range of projects in Sudan.
"We are convinced that the Sudanese can and should independently solve internal problems and determine the vector of the sovereign development of their country based on national interests," Maria Zakharova voiced Russia’s official position at the time.
At the same time, it seems that the military, taking such drastic steps against civilian political leaders with international support, took a well-considered risk, counting primarily on the support of another significant player in the region - Egypt. One way or another, but by the beginning of 2023, the new authorities managed to reach many agreements with both the American side and international organizations.
STRUGGLE FOR LEADERSHIP IN THE REGION
Sudan, being a rich and extremely significant country in terms of logistics and overall control over the northeastern and eastern parts of Africa, has been and remains an area of intense competition between major international players. This is not a simple two-way or three-way competition, it is multi-dimensional.
An important point is also that for a long time, approximately since the disappearance of the bipolar world, the primary role in most African troubles has been played by regional powers. And in this case, we are talking about a fierce regional confrontation between Egypt and Ethiopia.
Behind the back of the displaced head of government, Abdullah Hamdok, were the interests not so much of the United States as of Ethiopia, and behind the head of the army, Abdel al-Burhan, were the interests of Egypt. And already in the second and third place, the interests of the Arab countries, China and anyone else.
In itself, rather painless for the country as a whole, the fact of Omar al-Bashir's removal from power became possible due to the coincidence of interests of the Trump administration and Israel (another player with significant interests in the region).
In fact, Sudan, under the strict leadership of the military, has become another Arab state that has agreed to normalize relations with Israel as part of a US-brokered deal.
In exchange for establishing relations with Tel Aviv, Sudan received the lifting of sanctions and the solution of debt problems. In 2021, the 1958 law to boycott Israel was also repealed. It banned diplomatic and economic relations with Israel, and violators could be punished with up to 10 years in prison and a fine.
A number of respected publications also shared insider reports about the secret visit of the Sudanese military to Israel. The delegation was headed by Abdul Rahim Hamdan Daglo, the brother of that same Hamedti.
Today in Sudan, it is the military who are in favor of establishing relations with Israel, guided by purely practical considerations - the benefits for the country, the army and, accordingly, new opportunities for maintaining their own power.
At the same time, the majority of civil leaders, oriented towards the masses of the population, sharply negatively assess the prospects for rapprochement with Israel. Because the common people, under the influence of traditions and religion, ardently support the Palestinians.
But back to the role of Egypt, which could be behind the October 2021 coup. One of the main contradictions between the military and civilian leader Hamdok was the position on Addis Ababa.
The military was in favor of tougher conditions regarding the construction of the Great Renaissance Dam and was essentially allied with Egypt in the conflict over control of the Nile waters. In addition, Ethiopia and Sudan have unresolved territorial disputes.
The current leader of the country, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who received military education, including in Egypt, according to the Wall Street Journal, met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the day before the coup, who, as they say, could inspire him to coup.
THE FASTEST ACTION
Burhan, with the political and financial support of Egypt, insisted on the full integration of the RRF into the army structures. Hamedti, on the other hand, believes that, having lost control over the RRF, he will lose his political positions.
The catalyst for the escalation was the appearance of the Egyptian Air Force at the base in Meroe and rumors about Burkhan's intention to transfer the airport to Egypt for permanent use.
In the very first hours of the clash, the RRF took possession of the airport and captured the Egyptian special forces. According to social media reports, dozens of Egyptian MiG-29 aircraft are located at the same base, which were probably intended to be used as a deterrent against Ethiopia. Egyptian officers and soldiers were also detained in Marawi, north of the country's capital Khartoum.
Meroe Airport itself is one of the RRF's key staging points for the transport of weapons and gold, and is an important part of the RRF's economic base. It seems that this fact forced the RRF to act as quickly as possible.
Speaking in the middle of last day on the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera, the head of the RRF, Muhammad Hamdan Daglo "Hamedti", said that his forces took control of several airports, as well as the presidential palace. He accused Burhan of acting in the interests of Islamist dictator Omar al-Bashir.
"We will catch Burkhan and bring him to justice ,” he said, adding that “ we will end this in the coming day." Also, the RRF calls on the population to " join them "and reassures the soldiers that they "are not targeting them, but their headquarters."
CLAN GOLD
And now let's figure out what the RRF is (incorrectly called by some media "special forces" or "militia") and who their leader Hamedti is - "a former camel driver who dreams of becoming president," as the Western press writes about him.
The Rapid Reaction Force is a paramilitary force with more than 100,000 and is comparable to the size of the army. The RRF has its origins in the Janjaweed militia, who became infamous in the racially motivated armed clashes in the Darfur region in the 2000s.
In fact, being a field commander, Hamedti really grew up among camels and does not have a higher education. Having started its journey with a bloody civil strife in Darfur, it was toxic even for the former authorities in the person of Omar al-Bashir.
However, being the leader of a remote and significant region for Khartoum, he remained indispensable for the central authorities. Hamedti was able to monetize his growing influence by gaining access to gold mines.
Gold became the basis of the material well-being of the clan. One of the Hamedti brothers, El Goni Daglo , the only one with a higher education, manages the business from Dubai. According to some estimates, the business of the Daglo clan accounts for up to 40% of the country's gold exports, mostly illegal. Gold has also become a source of good connections and political patronage in the Arab countries.
Despite such an ambiguous "background", Hamedti managed to avoid international sanctions and getting into the lists of the ICC as the closest associate of Omar al-Bashir. At the same time, he remains young - a 40-year-old businessman and politician, a prominent representative of the regional elite.
The latter aspect probably plays a larger role than the foreign powers behind both military leaders. Darfur has until recently remained marginalized and despised by the Khartoum elite, and the RRF will certainly go all the way to bring their leader to power.
There is no doubt about the military experience of the SBR. They especially intensified after participating in hostilities against the Houthis of Yemen on the side of Saudi Arabia. At the peak of their involvement, the RRF deployed up to 40,000 fighters.
Sudan withdrew the bulk of its forces from Yemen by the end of 2019, but they returned with additional combat experience, military equipment and equipment.
WHY SUDAN IS IMPORTANT FOR RUSSIa
The successful work of Russian structures (PMC Wagner) in the region began precisely with interaction with this field commander, including in terms of joint gold mining. Subsequent coups significantly weakened Russia's influence in the region. This manifested itself, in particular, in the endless negotiations on the creation of a base for the navy (by the way, what about it?). Today we have a chance to “take revenge” to a certain extent and regain our former influence.
Sudan is of interest to Russia as a logistical "entry point" for the landlocked Central African Republic. This is the only way from the sea that is available to us and that our private military structures have repeatedly used. Including during the hot phase of civil confrontation in the CAR itself.
Also, through the base in this territory, it is possible to ensure the safety of maritime transport and control the huge trade flows through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Mining, energy, agriculture, military cooperation - all these areas remain a priority for mutually beneficial cooperation between our countries.
April 16, 2023
Viktor Vasiliev
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