Sudan's Hemeti faces power struggle at home following Moscow visit

The deputy leader of Sudan's military-led ruling body, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - widely known as Hemeti - was in Moscow yesterday for talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

On Wednesday, Hemeti heaped praise on Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said that Russia had a right to "defend its own interests" in Ukraine.

Among the Sudanese delegation was finance minister Gibril Ibrahim, leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), formerly an opposition group. Back home in Sudan, there are rumours that Hemeti is being isolated by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto head of state and chief of the Sudanese armed forces.

Burhan is thought to be trying to remove Hemeti from his position as leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, and to strip Hemeti's brother from his role as commander.

Burhan and Hemeti are united in their opposition to Sudan's civilian leadership, but are also personal rivals with different sources of power and wealth.

With the United States opposing last October's military coup, orchestrated by Burhan and with the support of Hemeti, Russia has emerged as a key ally, particularly for the RSF leader, who benefits from the help of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group.