After Hemedti’s Health Deteriorates, Major Security Alert in Nyala and Hundreds of Checkpoints Deployed

Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State, is witnessing the largest security and military mobilization since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia took control of the city. Reports emerged the day before yesterday of a deterioration in the health of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), along with reports that a foreign medical team had been urgently summoned to the city.

Eyewitnesses and residents in the city told Sudan Tribune that elite units and special forces had been deployed heavily along main streets, vital intersections, and political and executive headquarters, alongside intensive joint security campaigns to control the situation. These measures come after a prolonged period of deteriorating security conditions in Nyala over the past two years.

City residents confirmed that armed robberies have become widespread in markets and residential neighborhoods, carried out by armed groups wearing military uniforms and traveling in vehicles equipped with DShK machine guns. One resident of Al-Wadi neighborhood in Nyala said residents had observed the deployment of elite and special forces on the city’s streets from early morning.

He also reported the deployment of armored vehicles and reinforced vehicles, as well as thorough searches at most checkpoints. He said the deployment of special forces gives the impression that the authorities are seeking to curb robberies by armed gangs that have exhausted residents over the past two years.

He further confirmed that considerable apprehension prevails among the public, saying the scale of the mobilization and restrictions on movement and communications suggest that major military developments may be unfolding behind the scenes, or that the leadership fears an impending threat from outside the state.