RSF commander Hemeti has again offered up a series of lies so preposterous, so wildly untenable, that there can be no doubt that he has lost all concern for his credibility among knowledgeable Sudanese. This makes him an especially dangerous threat to civilian governance and the civilian uprising that began exactly a year ago
Eric Reeves | December 19, 2019
Sudan’s militia commander blames “impostors” for alleged RSF crimes | Radio Dabanga, December 19, 2019 | KHARTOUM
The Deputy Chairman of the Sovereign Council and Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemeti’, says that the perpetrators of the crimes during the revolution were “an invisible group disguising itself as RSF militiamen.”
[This lie is so preposterous, so completely at odds with all evidence and common sense—who would dare disguise themselves as RSF militiamen in Khartoum, when real RSF militiamen were everywhere in Khartoum?—that we must again come to the conclusion that Hemeti simply does not care about whether his lies are plausible or not. This indifference to credibility is an extremely alarming sign, suggesting a confidence that he will never be held accountable—ER]
He says at least 200 people have reportedly been arrested on charges of impersonating RSF members in an attempt to discredit his forces. “My forces are no angels,” he says. “There may have been crimes in the past, but there is internal accountability,” he stressed.
[Again, the notion that there is “internal accountability” within the RSF is utterly preposterous, with not a shred of evidence to suggest that this is true—in Khartoum, in Darfur, in South Kordofan. The RSF and Hemeti are a force unto themselves, a grim reality that—in a deeply unfortunate concession—has been ratified by the August “Constitutional Declaration,” which officially recognize both the regular Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF—ER]
In an interview with the Independent, the militia commander said that the decision to send his forces to Yemen was related to preserving the legal forces in Yemen, adding that the RSF do much more, but “the good side is invisible as they stay up to their efforts for a month without stopping.”
[The Sudanese forces in Yemen, especially the RSF, have been involved in some of the bloodiest fighting in a civil war that has created what may be the world’s greatest humanitarian crisis…echoes of Darfur, including counter-insurgency by means of war crimes—ER]
“Who will guard Darfur? Who guards the homeless? Who will compensate them? Who will restore the rights of people? We are the ones who do that.”
[The most despicable and preposterous in this series of lies by Hemeti. Since 2013 the primary instrument of civilian destruction, displacement, and suffering has been the RSF. I have chronicled in excruciating detail the violence wrought upon the civilians of Darfur in numerous publications, most recently:
Genocidal Violence in Darfur, Sudan: A Continuing Archival History, 2013 – 2019 (September 2019) | http://sudanreeves.org/2019/09/15/violence-in-darfur-sudan-a-continuing-archival-history-2013-2019/
He added my priority is not ruling, “I swear to God that I see myself as Sudanese, I am a simple ordinary citizen, and I have no authority and our highest priority now is the success of the civilian government.”
[All evidence, including Hemeti’s intrusion into foreign affairs, suggests that he is using his position as deputy head of the Sovereign Council as a means of propelling himself to yet greater power. His rallies around the country are self-promoting exercises that make clear he is trying to rehabilitate himself—from génocidaire to “protector” of the civilian uprising. There is simply nothing Hemeti will not lie about—egregiously and shamelessly—ER]
Hemeti admitted that he owns a gold mine at Jebel Amer in North Darfur and some partnerships with others, explaining that he pays taxes, Zakat (Muslim alms), customs and export duties.
[All evidence, from all credible sources, indicates that Hemeti has tremendously enriched himself and the RSF with gold violently seized from the Jebel Amer area of North Darfur. His great wealth makes him even more powerful going forward. One can only imagine how absurdly low his “tax payments” are; and no Zakat can ever begin to repair the spectacular destruction he has brought to Darfur and its people—ER]
Gold mines
As reported by Radio Dabanga this week, “Hemeti” has reportedly started arrangements to hand over the mining areas in North Darfur’s Jebel Amer to the Sudanese government. A source close to the independent Sudanese news website El Rakoba said that Hemeti’s move must be seen in the framework of his support to the Hamdok government. He claimed that Hemeti submitted his offer to hand over all mining areas in Jebel Amer in mid-October, but announcing the move was delayed by legal and military reasons.
[This purported “legal” explanation of why Hemeti does not hand over the mining areas of Jebel Amer—which are a national, not a personal resource—lacks all credibility; the “military reasons” are no more complicated than Hemeti’s determination to retain control by force in Jebel Amer—ER]