RSF commander fires political advisor after calling for talks with Islamists

KHARTOUM – Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, widely known as Hemedti, dismissed his political advisor Yousif Ezzat Al-Mahiri on Wednesday, after Mahiri advocated for including the Islamist movement in peace talks.

Mahiri, writing on social media platform X on July 9, said there was no reason to exclude the Islamic Movement from the recent Cairo conference aimed at resolving Sudan’s political crisis, claiming that despite their exclusion, its “facades” were present.

The RSF spokesman, Col. Fateh El Gurshi, announced Mahiri’s dismissal in a statement on Wednesday night, attributing it to “routine internal arrangements.”

The statement offered no specific reason for the dismissal or a replacement for Mahiri but did express appreciation for his service. Mahiri’s call for Islamist participation preceded his removal.

“They are a genuine party to the conflict,” he wrote of the Islamic Movement. “If the conference bypassed the National Congress Party (NCP) but accepted its facades, then accepting the facades necessitates acceptance of the original.”

The NCP, considered the political arm of the Islamists, was excluded from the Cairo talks. Mahiri argued for a broader political process that included all Sudanese stakeholders.

“I believe Cairo succeeded in restoring the founding platform for resolving the crisis,” Mahiri wrote.

He proposed a process aimed at a comprehensive agreement including all Sudanese people, addressing the root causes of the conflict, and establishing a future state with defined governance, citizenship rights, and solutions to all outstanding issues.