SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: BBC - Hemeti: The warlord behind Sudan’s future

5/6/19: BBC – Hemeti: The warlord behind Sudan’s future

 The BBC explain how Himedti, the vice-president of Sudan's ruling military junta, is “probably the most powerful man in Sudan.” The BBC attribute Himedti’s power to support from politicians who helped create the Janjaweed militia, and his support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

 Himedti gained ex-president Omar Al Bashir’s support by mobilising clansmen to quell the Darfur rebellion. As the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, which critics label a reincarnation of the Janjaweed militia, Himedti “leaves a trail of human rights abuse allegations from Darfur in his wake and has recently been accused of allowing those same forces to kill demonstrators in Khartoum.”

 Although Himedti was the first high-ranking official to express support for protesters against Omar Al Bashir, BBC Africa editor Fergal Keane calls Himedti “the most likely leader of a counter-revolution” and an “outsider of the military elite.”