According to a statement by the political advisor to Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, Yasir Arman, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have no future as an autonomous militia and must be absorbed into the national army.
Arman, who is also part of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in Agar, was recently named as Abdalla Hamdok’s political counselor. His appointment comes as the prime minister’s popularity has dwindled as a result of harsh economic measures and a lack of justice, particularly for the alleged victims of the RSF’s raids on pro-democracy protestors in June 2019.
Arman said he accepted the post handed to him last February because it would allow him to rally the Sudanese people to support the civilian-led transitional government, according to a Saturday interview with Sudanese television. In the interview, regarding the RSF, Arman emphasized the importance of integrating militiamen into a cohesive national army, within the framework of the Juba Peace Agreement’s security mechanisms.
“We are against creating strife between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, but the RSF have no future as independent forces because Sudan cannot have two armies,” he said.
Last May, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo expressed his opposition to his soldiers being integrated into the unified national army, saying that the RSF was constituted by law under the previous regime.
RSF leaders, according to Arman, can have goals, interests, and anxieties. “If its leaders have political ambitions, they should participate in the elections just like the others,” he said. “As for their interests and fears, they must be clearly discussed and resolved as a single national army is formed,” he noted. According to Arman, Dagalo, who owns many enterprises involved in gold mining, agriculture, and trade, wants to protect his interests.
Dagalo has expressed his support for Sudan’s democratic transition on various occasions.
