“He Trusts No One”: Inside the Elaborate Deception Surrounding Meetings with Hemedti
Sudanese Echoes – Meetings with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, have turned into something resembling complex intelligence operations, amid growing security concerns and serious fears for his life from airstrikes and drone attacks by the Sudanese army. These concerns are compounded by a severe crisis of trust towards those around him and visitors seeking to meet him.
Multiple sources told Darfur24 about the details of the strict security measures now imposed on anyone attempting to meet Hemedti in the city of Nyala. These measures clearly reflect his constant movement and lack of a fixed location for fear of assassination.
A member of a civil delegation that waited for more than a month in Nyala to meet Hemedti recounted that fears of security infiltration had dominated the commander’s office. Two weeks before the meeting, the delegation underwent thorough identity checks by special forces and was prohibited from carrying any personal belongings, including “keys and prayer beads.” Individual interrogations also focused on tribal affiliations and political backgrounds to ensure there was no betrayal or infiltration from within his inner circle or among visiting delegations.
After waiting from early morning until 8 p.m., the delegation was transported in a fully tinted bus that drove through the streets of Nyala for more than an hour to mislead observers and conceal the meeting location. They eventually found themselves in an unidentified building, where they remained until 4 a.m. At that point, Hemedti suddenly appeared, accompanied by his advisers and commanders, for a brief meeting that lasted no more than half an hour.
The sources confirmed that these strict procedures apply to everyone, including military and political leaders and members of his government. They are driven primarily by a “phobia” of airstrikes and suicide drone attacks, particularly after Sudanese army aircraft bombed several fixed RSF positions in Nyala.
To reduce the risks of airstrikes and attacks on buildings, meetings of the Janjaweed government’s Council of Ministers and local leaders have been held in open spaces or outdoors. His affiliated Security and Defence Council, together with special forces, oversees extensive sweeps of surrounding areas before any meeting.