Deputy Commander of the Rapid Support forces in Sudan Abdel-Rahim Dagalo the brother of General Mohamed Hamdan Hemedti announced the need to hand over power to civilians, in line with the framework agreement.
Addressing supporters in Khartoum on Saturday, Dagalo said: “Our message to our brothers in the authority is to hand over power to the people… From now on, we will not allow the killing of young demonstrators or the arrest of politicians.”
His statements come following an escalating verbal dispute between the leaders of the Rapid Support forces and army commanders during the past two weeks, especially over the merging of the Support forces and other armed movement forces into the army.
Although the Rapid Support Forces are officially affiliated with the army, they have maintained a kind of independence since their establishment, under the leadership of Hemedti.
The latter returned to Sudan on Thursday, following a visit to the United Arab Emirates, which lasted more than a week.
Hemedti - who also holds the position of Vice-President of the Sovereignty Council in Sudan - did not address in his speech the current political situation in the country, but renewed his commitment to implementing the framework agreement, according to the specified timetables.
He urged the parties to the peace process and the armed factions to increase work and coordinate efforts to implement the agreement, calling on the non-signatory armed movements to join the peace process.
He also called on the regional and international community and donors to mobilize financial and technical support to help complete the implementation of the terms of the peace agreement, especially in the development aspect, projects for the return of the displaced and refugees, and security arrangements.
