Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has announced plans to dispatch military columns to Sudan’s battlefronts every day, signalling preparations for an intensified campaign against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied Islamist militias.
Addressing a large military column preparing to deploy to combat zones on Friday, October 9, Dagalo, who heads the Presidential Council of the Sudan Founding Government, claimed that his forces were making advances across multiple fronts.
Appearing among RSF fighters, Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, pledged what he described as sweeping victories over the Sudanese army, which he accused of being controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, and its allied militias.
“We will dispatch a military column to the battlefield every day,” Dagalo said, adding: “We will meet on the front lines.”
His remarks signalled an intention to maintain a steady flow of reinforcements into active combat zones, although he did not identify specific deployment routes, troop numbers or the military objectives of the planned operations.
Dagalo declares Sudan’s conflict a drone war
Dagalo acknowledged the growing importance of unmanned aerial systems in the conflict, saying that the nature of warfare in Sudan had fundamentally changed.
“The war has evolved into a drone war,” he said.
“For every ailment, there is a cure,” he added, without elaborating on the military measures his forces might adopt in response to the expanding use of drone technology.
Drones have become an increasingly prominent feature of Sudan’s conflict, with both the RSF and SAF deploying unmanned aircraft for surveillance and attacks.
Their expanding use has changed battlefield dynamics, allowing armed forces to target positions beyond conventional artillery ranges while increasing risks to civilian populations.
Dagalo’s statements come amid renewed fighting in the Blue Nile and Kordofan regions, where drone operations and contested supply routes have become important elements of the military confrontation.
Battlefield promotions and new military strategies
The RSF commander also announced that future military promotions would be conducted in the field, as part of what he described as a more operationally focused approach to military leadership.
He said his forces would operate according to carefully developed military strategies and plans, indicating that upcoming operations would be guided by coordinated battlefield objectives.
“The next phase will be one of actions, not words,” Dagalo declared.
He dismissed what he described as media campaigns by the Muslim Brotherhood-aligned army and its militias, arguing that publicity and propaganda would not produce military victories.
His comments appeared intended to reinforce confidence among RSF fighters while challenging claims circulated by army-aligned outlets about the movement’s battlefield position.
RSF denies reports of commanders surrendering
Dagalo also rejected reports alleging that commanders from the Rapid Support Forces had surrendered.
He accused media outlets aligned with the Sudanese military of circulating false information about RSF leadership figures, describing the reports as fabricated attempts to undermine his forces.
Dagalo insisted that the allegations were untrue and maintained that developments on the battlefield, rather than media statements, would determine the course of the conflict.
Fighting intensifies across Sudan’s contested regions
The comments come as Sudan’s rival military forces continue to contest strategically important territory, particularly in Kordofan and Blue Nile.
In Blue Nile, the RSF and its allies in the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) have reported military operations around Wad al-Mahi, while army-aligned forces have sought to defend positions and reinforce their presence in the region.
Meanwhile, Kordofan remains a major theatre of fighting, with military operations focused on controlling transport corridors, supply routes and strategically positioned towns.
The escalating confrontation has increasingly involved drone strikes, raising concerns about further civilian casualties and damage to essential infrastructure.
Dagalo’s latest announcement follows earlier statements calling for stronger battlefield leadership and changes to the RSF’s operational tactics.
His pledge to dispatch daily military columns suggests that the RSF leadership intends to sustain pressure across several fronts, although the scale and timing of any new offensive remain unclear.
Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023, has devastated large parts of the country, displaced millions of people and triggered one of the world’s gravest humanitarian emergencies.
