The commander of the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said on Sunday, April 23, 2023, in television statements to "Sky News Arabia," that "90% of the Sudanese army personnel are out of service," and he apologized to the Sudanese people, considering that "democracy has a price," according to his statement, at a time when battles between him and the Sudanese army forces are intensifying; causing the death of hundreds of people in the country.

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also said in his television statements: "The Sudanese army is now fighting what is called Mujahideen and armed brigades. We are not fighting the army now because 90% of its elements are out of service, and those we are fighting are mercenaries."

Dagalo attacks Burhan

Hamidti continued: "War is a deception, and they are engaging in hit-and-run battles, while we are working with a fixed plan and fixed tactics. For example, we did not want to enter the Engineers area nor did we include it in our tactics because it has residents."

Meanwhile, Dagalo considered in his talk with "Sky News Arabia" that "sitting with (Army Commander Abdel Fattah) Burhan is not beneficial," adding: "The armed forces have honorable people, but unfortunately they have not emerged yet. I hope they come out and we negotiate with them, but I will not negotiate with the coup leader, and he must surrender," according to his statement.

He stressed that he "does not want war, but rather is for peace and stability, but Burhan continued negotiating and now he has nothing in his hands," referring to the negotiations that were ongoing in Sudan before the clashes, in an attempt to reach democratic rule.

When asked about the situation in Sudanese prisons, Dagalo said: "Kober prison is in the hands of the army, and I heard that they released all the prisoners." He continued: "Their (army’s) goal is to get Bashir out of prison, but it is important that Bashir refuses that and remains in prison until justice takes its course."

Dagalo is present in the field!

Hamidti emphasized his constant presence in the field, adding: "I am part of the Sudanese people, and I cannot leave Khartoum and let them fight," expressing his determination to "die or survive" along with the rest of the Rapid Support Forces in the Sudanese capital. He also referred to the video clip in which he appeared for the first time from Khartoum, following reports that confirmed he was outside of it, pointing out that he "does not know" who filmed it.

Regarding the evacuation of foreign nationals and diplomatic missions from Sudan, Dagalo confirmed that the Rapid Support Forces "bear the responsibility of evacuation," in addition to securing hospital needs.

In a final message sent by Hamidti to the Sudanese people during his talk with "Sky News Arabia," he said: "I say to the Sudanese people, let us all unite and stop the chaos... and the chaos is in the markets."

He continued: "People must exercise caution, and we apologize to them, and we tell them that we did not start with this... Burhan started, and we tell them that democracy has a price. And I apologize again to the Sudanese."

Hundreds killed in Sudan

In a related context, the World Health Organization reported on Saturday an increase in the death toll resulting from clashes in Sudan to 420 and injuries to 3,700. American media outlets, including the Associated Press, reported that more than 420 people, including 264 civilians, were killed, while more than 3,700 others were injured in the ongoing clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

The World Health Organization said in a statement on Friday that the casualties reached 413 dead and 3,551 injured.

Meanwhile, Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Ibrahim said in a televised statement that more than 400 deaths were recorded in all hospitals of the country. However, independent medical committees spoke, through statements, about the difficulty of obtaining a complete and accurate number of casualties, due to some of them not reaching hospitals, the spread of bodies in the streets, and the inability to deal with them due to the fighting.

It is noteworthy that since April 15, 2023, Sudan has witnessed clashes between the two sides in Khartoum and other cities. Both parties exchanged accusations of starting attacks on each other's headquarters, in addition to claims of controlling sites belonging to each of them.

It should be noted that in 2013, the "Rapid Support" was formed to support government forces in their fight against armed rebel movements in the Darfur region, then it undertook tasks including combating irregular migration at the borders and maintaining security, before the army described it as "rebellious" following the outbreak of clashes.