Ibrahim Matar, a columnist known for his anti-Jihadist and pro-RSF posture, argues that Lieutenant-General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo used last Sunday’s rally to redefine himself as Sudan’s indispensable peacemaker.
Matar frames the timing as crucial: Islamist leaders gathered in Port Sudan are internally divided after recent battlefield reverses, and Dagalo is seizing the moment to portray the Rapid Support Forces as the only cohesive actor left standing.
Matar highlights four messages he believes the RSF commander wanted to send. First, Dagalo’s call for talks is “peace from strength,” predicated on the claim that RSF fighters defend homes and honour while SAF chief Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and Islamist patrons lose nothing by prolonging the war.
Second, Dagalo seeks to calm regional fears, assuring Egypt, Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic that RSF control of the border “Triangle” poses no threat.
Third, he blames Port Sudan hard-liners for poisoning Sudan’s foreign relations through covert militias and disinformation.
Fourth, he promises internal order—refurbished prisons, protection for displaced civilians and zero tolerance for looting—while singling out “the Brotherhood of the Devils” (his label for Islamist militants) as the true enemy.
The Sudan Times notes that Matar’s reading lines up neatly with RSF messaging, presenting Dagalo as guardian of the 2018–19 revolution’s slogans of freedom, justice and peace.
By stressing border security and civilian welfare, Dagalo is clearly positioning himself for a post-war political role. Whether that bid succeeds will depend less on rhetoric and more on battlefield realities and the willingness of regional powers to treat the RSF as a legitimate negotiating partner.
