Hemedti

Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo Musa (born ), commonly known by his nom de guerre Hemedti, (; also spelled Hemetti and in April 2023 he mobilised the RSF against al-Burhan's government and captured key government sites (although al-Burhan disputed this), and thereby started the current Sudanese civil war.)

According to Human Rights Watch asserts his birthplace as Sudan, yet according to the BBC, The Guardian his family, who are part of a Rizeigat tribe known for camel herding and trading, migrated to the Darfur region in western Sudan in the 1980s, escaping from war and drought in Chad. Sources differ on Hemedti's date of birth, with various publications placing it at differing points between 1973 and 1975. Tubiana continued in his article on Hemedti that "His uncle Juma Dagalo, chief of the Rizeigat tribe of the nomadic Baggara Arabs, failed to be recognized as a tribal leader in North Darfur state, but South Darfur authorities welcomed the newcomers and allowed them to settle on land belonging to the Fur tribe, Darfur’s main indigenous non-Arab group."

Hemedti may have traded camels prior to the War in Darfur. However this claim was later debunked by Jerome Tubiana, a researcher, journalist and the International Crisis Group's former senior Sudan analyst.

Paramilitary career and criminal allegations

He was one of the perpetrators of the Darfur genocide. Hemedti became a leader of the Janjaweed during the War in Darfur that started in 2003 in Adwa in South Darfur in a methodical, systematic attack starting on 23 November 2004 at 6am. The militias burned all the houses, and burned some bodies and threw others in wells to hide evidence of the massacre. Under Hemedti's direct orders, the militias shot male villagers immediately, raped young girls and detained women for two days. Hemedti stated to African Union officials that the massacre had been planned in coordination with government soldiers over several months. Hemedti's RSF and other Sudanese security forces killed civilians, destroyed infrastructure and committed other war crimes.

Business interests Hemedti used the RSF to take over gold mines and arrest rival Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal in November 2017, with the result that Hemedti became the biggest gold trader in Sudan via his company al-Junaid. In 2019, Global Witness reported that the UAE was a key supplier of military equipment to the RSF. Both Hemedti and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had ties to the Putin regime in Russia. According to Business Insider, "The two generals helped Russian President Vladimir Putin exploit Sudan's gold resources to help buttress Russian finances against Western sanctions and fund his war in Ukraine."

The UAE had helped Hemedti to strengthen his military through many business deals that were channeled through Dubai. UAE had also paid huge sums of money to Hemedti to send thousands of troops to Yemen to fight their proxy war. The Yemen war had hugely benefited General Hamdan. Hemedti also visited Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine to sign a partnership deal with the Wagner Group in exchange for giving them the license to mine gold in Sudan. According to Western officials, General Hamdan’s wealth includes livestock, real estate and private security firms, with much of the money held in Dubai. It helped Hemedti build his paramilitary forces which as of 2023 were better equipped than the regular Sudanese military.

2019 Sudanese coup d'état

Hemedti became Deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) after using the RSF to detain former president al-Bashir during the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état.

On 13 March 2023, he arrived in Eritrea and met with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

Peace negotiations Hemedti led the governmental negotiations team with the rebel movements in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Following many rounds of talks with the leaders of these movements, who have been rebelling against the state since 2003 in the regions of Darfur, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan, they managed to reach a peace agreement in October 2020.

Sudanese civil war (2023–present)

On 15 April 2023, Dagalo's Rapid Support Forces launched various attacks against Sudanese Army bases across the country, including in the capital Khartoum. Later, fighting broke out between the Rapid Support Forces and the Army, as clashes were reported at the Presidential Palace and at the residence of General al-Burhan; both Dagalo and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese armed forces claimed control over the two sites. On 15 April, Dagalo claimed that SAF commanders were attempting to return recently deposed leader Omar al-Bashir back to power.

On 16 April, Abdalla Hamdok, the Former Prime Minister of Sudan appealed to both Dagalo and al-Burhan to agree on a permanent cease fire and stop the fighting. Dagalo claimed his forces were defending against “radical Islamists” in Sudan via his Twitter. As of 1 May, the clashes have continued, although with occasional ceasefires. On 19 May 2023, Dagalo was formally dismissed from his Transitional Sovereignty Council position by decree, allegedly appointing Malik Agar in his place.

Dagalo's RSF had received help from foreign countries. Russia's Wagner Group, Libya's LNA commander Khalifa Haftar, and the United Arab Emirates had reportedly helped the RSF with military supplies, helicopters, and weapons. The WHO confirmed that in six days of war, 413 people had been killed, 3,551 had been injured, and 11 health facilities had come under attack.

This is a list of the countries he has visited since the start of the war.

Uganda Ethiopia Djibouti Kenya South Africa Rwanda

On 1 July 2025, the RSF and the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) announced the creation in Nyala of a governing alliance headed by Hemedti, with SPLM-N leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu as his deputy.

Death hoax In April 2023, a Twitter account impersonating the Rapid Support Forces announced that Hemedti had died following injuries sustained in combat. The tweet received 1.7 million views before being taken down.

Genocide sanctions In January 2025, US government imposed sanctions against Hemedti, stating that this was in response to the RSF's role in committing genocide during the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The U.S. sanctions freeze Dagalo’s assets and bar him from entering the US. The RSF and affiliated militias have targeted civilians, subjecting them to violence (including sexual violence), contributing to widespread displacement and deaths.

Support from the UAE As per the US officials, the UAE was backing General Hamdan in the 2023 civil war. The Emirates denied its involvement in the war. The American officials said Hemedti video-recorded speeches for Sudanese supporters from a protected residence in Abu Dhabi. According to Sudanese diplomats, his closest ally in the Emirates is the country's vice president, Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The US intelligence identified Hemedti’s direct phone connection with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Mansour bin Zayed through interceptors. As per Jeffrey D. Feltman, the US was aware that the Emirati working behind the scenes in Sudan is Sheikh Mansour. Two of the charities overseen by Sheikh Mansour also built a field hospital at an airbase in Chad for humanitarian purposes, but it was instead used for a covert operation of supplying arms to the RSF militia.

Allegations of injury On May 16 2026, "al-Savanna" a RSF commander who defected to fight alongside SAF alleged that Hemedti had been injured in a previous strike outside the military headquarters of Khartoum. According to al-Savannah Hemedti no longer holds any decision-making power in RSF and all the decisions are made by foreign parties.

Trial in absentia On 12 July 2026, a court in Port Sudan sentenced Hemedti and 15 others to death in absentia over massacres and murders in Darfur.