Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, said Sunday that tensions with Egypt “must be resolved at the negotiating table,” pledging to use diplomacy rather than force and to honor the borders of all neighboring countries.
Speaking to thousands of RSF fighters in a forested area near the western city of El Geneina, Dagalo — widely known as Hemedti — accused General al-Burhan’s army (SAF) and its allied Islamist movement of smearing the RSF’s reputation across the region.
Dagalo reiterated past claims that Egypt had supplied the SAF with weapons, but said the RSF had “reviewed our calculations” and would pursue dialogue instead of confrontation. “We are not against any country,” he told the crowd.
Dagalo said RSF forces now control the sparsely populated border “triangle” where Sudan meets Egypt and Libya, describing it as a former hub of smuggling, terrorism and drug trafficking. Securing the area, he said, protects both Sudan and its neighbors. The RSF announced it had seized the triangle on June 11.
The Sudanese leader also repeated allegations that Sudan’s Islamist movement provoked last year’s civil war to cling to power, branding its members “murderers” driven by self-interest. He vowed to reclaim territory the RSF has lost and urged rebel chiefs Minni Arko Minawi and Gibril Ibrahim to join what he called a fight for “justice and change.”
“We have no problem with the people of Minni and Gibril,” Dagalo said. “If they come tonight, they are welcome.”
