As Sudan is witnessing yet another military coup since the fall of its dictator Omar al Bashir in 2019, the military junta has deployed a ruthless band of paramilitary troops, Rapid Support Forces , to crush public dissent.
“We’ve documented how they led a violent dispersal of a sit-in June 2019, and more recently also killed protesters in eastern Sudan. They’ve also arbitrarily detained civilians,” Osman tellsOsman thinks that military leaders need “to send a clear message that abusive operations will be punished” in the face of the coup.
The coup leader, Abdel Fattah al Burhan, also dismantled the civilian government and the Sovereignty Council, an interim body comprising civilians and generals. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of Rapid Support Forces, sits on his vehicle surrounded by soldiers from the RSP during a military-backed tribal rally in the East Nile province, Sudan.