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Sudan unrest: What are the Rapid Support Forces?

Published

2 years ago

April 16, 2023

Sudan unrest: What are the Rapid Support Forces?

The RSF is commanded by Basic Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who presently holds the place of deputy head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council.

Sudan’s army and the Fast Assist Forces (RSF) paramilitary group are engaged in fierce preventing within the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere within the nation, elevating fears of a civil battle.

The preventing, which started on Saturday, has killed not less than 56 civilians, the Sudanese Docs Union mentioned in a press release.

The clashes comply with months of heightened tensions between the military and RSF. The paramilitary group says it has taken management of the Presidential Palace and Khartoum Worldwide Airport in an obvious coup try. Navy chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has rejected the claims.

Here’s what you might want to know in regards to the RSF:

How was RSF fashioned?

The group advanced from so-called Janjaweed militias, which fought in a battle within the 2000s within the Darfur area, the place they have been utilized by the federal government of long-ruling President Omar al-Bashir to assist the military put down a rise up.

An estimated 2.5 million individuals have been displaced and 300,000 killed within the battle.

Worldwide Felony Court docket prosecutors accused authorities officers and militia commanders of genocide, battle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity in Darfur.

Over time, the militia grew. It was made into the RSF in 2013, and its forces have been used as border guards particularly. In 2015, the RSF together with Sudan’s military started sending troops to combat within the battle in Yemen alongside Saudi and Emirati troopers.

A portrait of Basic Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo is seen on a door of an RSF automobile earlier than a rally [File: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP]

In the identical 12 months, the group was granted the standing of a “common pressure”. In 2017, a regulation legitimising the RSF as an impartial safety pressure was handed.

Along with the Darfur area, the RSF was deployed to states comparable to South Kordofan and the Blue Nile, the place it was accused of committing human rights abuses. In a 2015 report, Human Rights Watch described its forces as “males with no mercy”.

Analysts estimated the RSF to have about 100,000 fighters.

Who runs the RSF?

The RSF is commanded by Basic Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally generally known as “Hemedti”, or “Little Mohamad”. He presently holds the place of deputy head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council.

Dagalo was born into an impoverished household that settled in Darfur within the Eighties. He dropped out of college within the third grade and made a residing buying and selling camels earlier than turning into a Janjaweed chief when the Darfur battle broke out.

Because the RSF grew to become extra distinguished and its position within the nation’s safety affairs grew, Dagalo’s enterprise pursuits prospered with assist from al-Bashir. His household expanded its holdings in gold mining, livestock and infrastructure.

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (C), — Dagalo waves a baton as he rides at the back of a automobile surrounded by RSF members and crowds of supporters [File: Ashraf Shazly/AFP]

When did Dagalo take a high authorities place?

In April 2019, the RSF participated in a army coup that eliminated al-Bashir after months of demonstrations in opposition to his 30-year rule.

4 months later, the army and the pro-democracy motion reached a power-sharing deal, which established a joint military-civilian council that might govern Sudan for the following three years till elections have been held.

Dagalo was introduced as vice chairman of the council headed by al-Burhan.

Outstanding economist Abdalla Hamdok was sworn in as Sudan‘s prime minister and chief of the transitional cupboard. Earlier than signing the deal, activists accused the RSF of taking part in killing dozens of pro-democracy protesters.

In October 2021, the RSF was concerned in one other coup with the military, halting the transition to a democratically elected authorities. The transfer triggered new mass pro-democracy rallies throughout Sudan that proceed till at present.

What are the supply of tensions between military, RSF?

The military and pro-democracy teams have demanded the RSF’s integration into the common armed forces. Negotiations on doing so have been a supply of pressure that has delayed a closing signing of a brand new transition settlement, initially scheduled for April 1.

Dagalo and al-Burhan reportedly stay at odds over who could be the commander-in-chief of the army throughout a multiyear integration interval. The RSF mentioned the commander must be the civilian head of state, a state of affairs the military rejects.

Related Topics:Featured middle east news Sudan

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World

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Italian state railways plans 1.3 bln euro investment in solar plant

Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato plans to invest 1.3 billion euros ($1.36 billion) in a photovoltaic plant with an initial 1 gigawatt (GW) capacity that would cover 19% of its energy needs by 2029, the CEO said in a newspaper interview.

World

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Christmas in Puerto Rico is a 45-day celebration with caroling, festive decorations, family feasts and more

Christmas, Navidad in Puerto Rico, extends far beyond Dec. 25.

The island proudly proclaims itself as having the “longest holiday season in the world,” according to the website Discover Puerto Rico.

On average, the holiday festivities in Puerto Rico last about 45 days, per the source, commencing right after Thanksgiving, and stretching all the way through mid-January.

The Christmas season in Puerto Rico typically lasts around 45 days. (iStock)

HOW TO SAY ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ IN 10 LANGUAGES TO FRIENDS AROUND THE WORLD

The holiday season in Puerto Rico is full of rich traditions beloved by families.

One tradition those who visit Puerto Rico will immediately notice during the holiday season is decorations.

In Puerto Rico, decorations are typically put up by Thanksgiving, and kept up until the season concludes in mid-January, with opportune picture moments at every corner.

Parrandas, Christmas caroling, is a holiday staple.

17 SECRET TRAVEL TIPS FOR FALL AND WINTER THAT AREN’T SO SECRET AFTER ALL

Carolers choose houses of family and friends to visit, typically starting around 10 p.m., performing aguinaldos (traditional Christmas songs), with not only their voices, but often with instruments as well, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

The group you begin caroling with is likely not the same group you end with.

In Puerto Rico, when carolers visit a house, they’ll often stop inside for conversation, food and drink before moving to the next residence.

Coquito is a popular beverage enjoyed during the holiday season in Puerto Rico. Coconut, vanilla and rum are among the ingredients. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Usually, the residences of the house visited will join the group for the next house, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

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A night of serenading loved ones can last quite a while, often stretching into the early morning hours of the following day, according to the source.

The biggest day of the holiday season in Puerto Rico actually isn’t Christmas, but instead, the night before.

In Puerto Rico, Dec. 24 is Nochebuena. On that day, loved ones gather for the exchange of gifts, caroling and a large feast.

Many families will also attend a midnight Mass on the day, known as Misa de Gallo.

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After Christmas passes, the festivities go on in Puerto Rico.

Another big event in the holiday lineup is Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, a holiday that “commemorates the visit that the Three Wise Men paid to Jesus after his birth,” according to Discover Puerto Rico.

On the eve of the day, children fill up a shoebox with grass to be left for camels to munch on while the Three Kings leave behind gifts for them, according to PuertoRico.com.

For a particularly festive Three Kings Day, Juana Díaz is the place to go, as it hosts the largest celebration in Puerto Rico for the holiday. In Juana Díaz, there is an annual festival and parade in honor of Three Kings Day that brings together over 25,000 people every year, according to Discover Puerto Rico.

Gifts are primarily exchanged between loved ones on Christmas Eve in Puerto Rico. (iStock)

Then, eight days later is Octavitas, a post-holiday celebration where families get together and celebrate one last time for the season.

The end of the holiday season is marked with the San Sebastián Street Festival.

This festival, spanning over multiple days, takes place in Old San Juan, and is filled with live music, dancing, shopping and parades.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

World

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Published

6 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Small plane crashes into Brazil town popular with tourists, killing 10

Twin-engine plane crashed in largely residential neighborhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff, authorities say.

A small plane has crashed into a tourist hotspot in southern Brazil, killing all 10 people on board and injuring more than a dozen people on the ground, officials have said.

The twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 hit the chimney of a home and the second floor of a different house before crashing into a shop in a largely residential neighbourhood of Gramado shortly after takeoff from Canela, Brazil’s Civil Defense agency said on Sunday.

Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite told a news conference that the aircraft’s owner and pilot, Luiz Claudio Galeazzi, was killed along with nine members of his family.

Leite said that 17 people on the ground were injured, 12 of whom were still receiving treatment in hospital.

Galeazzi’s company, Galeazzi & Associados, confirmed that its CEO and Galeazzi’s wife and three daughters had died in the crash.

“Luiz Galeazzi will be forever remembered for his dedication to his family and for his remarkable career as a leader of Galeazzi & Associados,” the company said in a post on LinkedIn.

“In this moment of immense pain, Galeazzi & Associados is deeply grateful for the expressions of solidarity and affection received from friends, colleagues and the community. We also sympathize with all those affected by the accident in the region.”

Gramado, located in the Serra Gaucha mountains, is a popular destination for vacationers, especially during the Christmas season.

The crash comes a little more than a year after Brazil suffered its worst air disaster in nearly two decades when a twin-engine plane crashed in the southeastern city of Vinhedo, killing all 62 people on board.