The paramilitary leader, who has been operating in secret since the start of the war in Sudan, is traveling to several African capitals, experts say, making this his first trip abroad since the start of the conflict in search of international legitimacy.
Since the war in Sudan began on April 15, public appearances by Gen. Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), have been rare, while his rival, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, increased his visits abroad in September He addressed the UN General Assembly as Sudan's de facto leader.
But since beginning his trip on December 27, General Daglo, known as “Hemedti,” has swapped his usual work clothes for tailored suits for his first foreign trips in nine months of war.
In Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, South Africa and Rwanda he was “welcomed with the attributes of a head of state,” assured AFP Clément Deshayes, a Sudan specialist at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
“Achieve legitimacy”
The FSR leader is “on the rise,” Alex de Waal, a Sudan specialist, told AFP.
On Tuesday, he signed a joint statement in Addis Ababa on an “immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities” with former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok, who was ousted in October 2021 by a coup led by generals Burhane and Daglo, who were allies at the time .
Mr Hamdok was subsequently briefly reinstated in office before resigning in January 2022 and leaving Sudan for Abu Dhabi. The civilian coalition he led, Forces for Freedom and Change (FLC), has since formed another coalition with other civilian groups: Taqadum.
It brings together civil society and independents to represent civilian power in Sudan, which has been led almost continuously by the military since Sudan's independence.
For Andreas Krieg, a professor at King's College London, General Daglo sent “the most important political message he could have sent to gain legitimacy” by securing Taqadum's support.
General Daglo, who led a scorched earth policy in Darfur in a war that left hundreds of thousands dead in the 2000s, for years stepped up his efforts to move from warlord status to statesman status.
Today, despite “ethnic cleansing in Darfur”, a civilian coalition “signing an agreement with him” has “legitimized him in the eyes of the international community”, Mr Deshayes told AFP.
According to Professor Krieg, having a civilian partner would make him a more acceptable potential leader for Western capitals.
However, on social media, pro-democracy activists accused Mr. Hamdok of betraying civilians.
“This is the same Hemedti who worked with (the army) to break up the sit-in,” one user wrote, commenting on at least 128 deaths.
Mr Hamdok had said he hoped for “an urgent meeting” with General Burhane, but according to Cameron Hudson it was now “very unlikely” that the latter would accept the Center for Strategic and International Studies' invitation.
This is “exactly the aim, because it will give the impression that the army is against peace and portray Hemedti as more sensible and responsible,” Mr Hudson added.
According to Mr de Waal, Abdallah Hamdok made a serious “diplomatic mistake” by outlawing the army.
Hemedti's moves actually raised the ire of the army chief, who accused African leaders of “associating themselves with the murder of the Sudanese people.” On Thursday, Khartoum recalled its ambassador from Nairobi after the Kenyan president received General Daglo.
The shadow of the United Arab Emirates
Experts have pointed the finger at an alleged mastermind behind General Daglo's strategy: the United Arab Emirates.
According to Andreas Krieg, the Emirates are “developing a narrative in which Hemedti appears as a potential political leader,” with Taqadum granting him civil bail.
The paramilitaries now control Khartoum, almost the entire western Darfur region and have invaded the east-central state of al-Jazeera.
According to Clément Deshayes, the army found itself “increasingly isolated,” and its military defeats angered even its close ally and large neighbor to the north, Egypt.
Months of diplomatic efforts to end hostilities have been futile, but General Daglo can now “enter negotiations from a position of strength.”