The two generals at war over Sudan

Hemedti was the commander of one of the many Arab militias, collectively known as the Janjaweed, which the government employed to brutally put down the largely non-Arab Darfuri rebel groups.

The two generals at war over Sudan

These two men—Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces—are at the center of the conflict for control of Sudan.

The two collaborated at first. They collaborated to pull off a coup, but now their struggle for dominance is ripping Sudan apart.

We must go back in time a little bit to comprehend their relationship.

Both were instrumental in the counter-insurgency against the Darfuri rebels during the 2003–2004 civil conflict in western Sudan.

In Darfur, Gen. Burhan rose to command the Sudanese army.