Wall Street Journal: Where is Hemeidti?

The American Wall Street Journal reported that the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, nicknamed Hemeidti, has not appeared in public for months, which has negatively affected the morale of his fighters.

The newspaper reported that Hemeidti’s absence has raised speculation about his whereabouts and his brother’s assumption of command of the forces.

The newspaper quoted Sudanese officials and activists as saying that Hemeidti’s absence has negatively affected the morale of his fighters, as hundreds of them withdrew from the capital Khartoum towards their homes in Darfur.

A former militia fighter revealed to the newspaper that most of the fighters feel that Hemeidti has abandoned them.

For his part, Cameron Hudson, a former official in the US State Department, who now works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that the militia’s supply lines have become weak after two years of war. He said that they are suffering from desertions, while the army is at full strength, according to the Wall Street Journal.