{"id":5248,"date":"2025-11-28T09:03:50","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T09:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/?p=5248"},"modified":"2025-12-25T09:07:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T09:07:14","slug":"mohamed-hamdan-hemedti-dagalo-the-warlord-of-the-parallel-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/mohamed-hamdan-hemedti-dagalo-the-warlord-of-the-parallel-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Mohamed Hamdan &#8220;Hemedti&#8221; Dagalo: The Warlord of the &#8220;Parallel State&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"1\"><b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo<\/b> (born c. <span class=\"citation-892\">1974), universally known as <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"59\"><span class=\"citation-892\">Hemedti<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-892\">, is the commander of the paramilitary <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"1\" data-index-in-node=\"105\"><span class=\"citation-892\">Rapid Support Forces (RSF)<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-892 citation-end-892\"> and the primary rival to General al-Burhan.<\/span> Once a camel trader who rose to become a Janjaweed leader during the Darfur genocide, Hemedti has spent 2025 formalizing a parallel government in the territories he controls, effectively splitting Sudan in two.<\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"2\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"3\"><\/h3>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"3\">Key Biographical Information<\/h3>\n<table data-path-to-node=\"4\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Detail<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Information<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Full Name<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,1,0\">Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo Musa<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Born<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,1,0\">c. 1974, Darfur, Sudan (some sources suggest Chad)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Current Office<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,3,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Chairman of the Presidential Council<\/b> (Government of Peace and Unity)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,4,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Military Role<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,1,0\">Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,5,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Headquarters<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,5,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Nyala, South Darfur<\/b> (Since August 2025)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"4,6,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Status in 2025<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,1,0\">Under <b data-path-to-node=\"4,6,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"6\">U.S. sanctions<\/b> for genocide; leading a &#8220;New Sudan&#8221; rival state.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"5\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"6\"><\/h3>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"6\">The &#8220;Government of Peace and Unity&#8221; (2025)<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\"><span class=\"citation-891 citation-end-891\">After losing significant ground in Khartoum and Omdurman to the SAF in early 2025, Hemedti pivoted toward establishing a de facto state in the west.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"8\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Declaration of Statehood:<\/b><span class=\"citation-890\"> On <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"29\"><span class=\"citation-890\">April 15, 2025<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-890\"> (the second anniversary of the war), Hemedti announced the formation of the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"120\"><span class=\"citation-890\">Government of Peace and Unity<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-890 citation-end-890\">, a parallel administration based in the RSF stronghold of Nyala.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-889\">Inauguration:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-889\"> He officially took the oath of office as <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"55\"><span class=\"citation-889\">Chairman of the Presidential Council<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-889\"> on <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"95\"><span class=\"citation-889\">August 30, 2025<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-889 citation-end-889\">.<\/span> While no foreign nation has formally recognized this government, it operates its own civil administration, courts, and tax collection in RSF-held Darfur and Kordofan.<\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-888\">Political Vision:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-888 citation-end-888\"> Hemedti frames his &#8220;New Sudan&#8221; project as a struggle for the &#8220;neglected peripheries&#8221; against the &#8220;Nile-side elites&#8221; in Khartoum.<\/span> In September 2025, he released a manifesto calling for a &#8220;secular, democratic, and decentralized&#8221; federal state.<\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"9\">Battlefield Gains and War Crimes<\/h3>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"10\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"10,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-887 citation-end-887\">The Fall of El Fasher (October 2025):<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-886\">\u00a0After an 18-month siege, Hemedti\u2019s forces captured <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"10,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"89\"><span class=\"citation-886\">El Fasher<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-886 citation-end-886\">, the last SAF stronghold in Darfur.<\/span> This victory gave the RSF nearly total control over the western third of Sudan, though it was accompanied by reports of massacres and systematic sexual violence.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-885\">Genocide Determination:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-885\"> In <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"27\"><span class=\"citation-885\">January 2025<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-885\">, the United States officially determined that the RSF and its allied militias committed <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"10,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"128\"><span class=\"citation-885\">genocide<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-885 citation-end-885\"> against the Masalit people and other non-Arab ethnic groups.<\/span> Personal sanctions were imposed on Hemedti, freezing his international assets and banning his travel to the U.S.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"10,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"10,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">External Support:<\/b><span class=\"citation-884 citation-end-884\"> Despite international pressure, Hemedti continues to receive significant backing.<\/span> <span class=\"citation-883\">Investigations throughout 2025 confirmed a &#8220;bridge of support&#8221; from the <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"10,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"172\"><span class=\"citation-883\">United Arab Emirates (UAE)<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-883 citation-end-883\">, including arms supplies funneled through field hospitals in Chad.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"source-inline-chip-container ng-star-inserted\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"11\">Current Status (Christmas Day 2025)<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12\">As of <b data-path-to-node=\"12\" data-index-in-node=\"6\">December 25, 2025<\/b>, Hemedti is operating from a &#8220;protected residence,&#8221; reportedly moving between Darfur and locations in the UAE and Libya.<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"13\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"><span class=\"citation-882\">Call for Dialogue with Egypt:<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-882\"> On <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"33\"><span class=\"citation-882\">December 23, 2025<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-882\">, Hemedti issued a rare direct appeal to <\/span><b data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"91\"><span class=\"citation-882\">Cairo<\/span><\/b><span class=\"citation-882 citation-end-882\">, urging Egypt to cease its military support for the SAF (which recently included drone strikes) and instead lead a neutral mediation effort.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Famine and Humanitarian Crisis:<\/b> His administration in Darfur is currently overseeing what the UN calls the &#8220;world&#8217;s worst hunger crisis.&#8221; While Hemedti has called for &#8220;humanitarian corridors,&#8221; his forces have been accused of looting aid warehouses and blocking supplies to regions suspected of loyalty to the SAF.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"14\"><\/h3>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"14\">Professional Profile<\/h3>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"15\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"15,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">The Outsider Warlord:<\/b> Hemedti remains a polarizing figure; to his troops, he is a revolutionary &#8220;man of the people&#8221; challenging a corrupt military establishment; to the international community, he is the &#8220;Butcher of Darfur&#8221; responsible for the disintegration of the Sudanese state.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (born c. 1974), universally known as Hemedti, is the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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