Sudan’s Army General Dismisses Paramilitary Rival as Deputy in Symbolic Move

Sudan’s top army general, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, has fired the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, from the Sovereignty Council in a symbolic gesture. The two generals have been feuding for control over Sudan, resulting in a month-long conflict that has killed at least 705 people. The firing is unlikely to affect the battlefield, where the warring sides remain locked in a stalemate. Intense fighting between the army and RSF forces flared up in South Darfur’s regional capital of Nyala, killing at least 18 civilians. Last weekend, RSF and other affiliated militias stormed the city of Geneina, killing upward of 280 civilians. The two sides signed a US-Saudi brokered pact last week to better protect civilians caught in the crossfire, and international efforts are underway to build a lasting truce. Burhan appointed Malik Agar, a once prominent leader of the Sudan Revolutionary Front, to replace Dagalo. The United Nations and rights groups have accused Sudan’s warring sides of human rights abuses.