SUDAN INSIGHT ALERT: Reuters - Sudanese militia commander waits in wings after president ousted

23/4/19: Reuters – Sudanese militia commander waits in wings after president ousted, by Khalid Abdelaziz and Michael Georgy

Khalid Abdelaziz and Michael Georgy examine the possibility of Himedti, the deputy president of Sudan’s transitional military council (TMC) taking power.

 Anonymous western diplomats and Sudanese opposition figures say that Hemedti helped force out Omar Al Bashir because he has set his sights on the presidency.

 Despite Himedti’s insistence that he favours a a technocratic government, a senior western diplomat said it was unlikely the TMC would hand over power to civilians, citing the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that Himedti leads “at his disposal,” adding that the “strong” cooperation between the RSF and the army means “there is no way they will agree to hand over power.”

 Sudanese opposition figures said Hemedti could wield huge influence behind the scenes if he did not win power personally.