A Reading of Hemeti’s Recent Appearance

As I See 

Adel El-Baz

1

The man who claims to command half a million fighters has been hiding outside his country for months and suddenly appears in Kampala dressed in full “African attire,” insisting he “does not seek the presidency” and that his sole goal is to “oust the Muslim Brotherhood.” His current appearance is nothing more than a desperate attempt to polish the image of a war criminal for a political role—but it is futile. Many have focused on his “nonsense,” yet I see that the man has been politically dead for a long time. This appearance does not revive him; it merely buries him under a layer of hired diplomacy.

2

To understand the scene, one must follow the steps of Sheikh Shakhbout. Before Hemeti’s appearance on the Kampala stage, Shakhbout had completed a tour that included Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Congo, and Burundi—the same stops now on Hemeti’s itinerary.
Through its influence and diplomatic ties, the UAE prepares the stage and opens doors for rebels, while securing supply chains and mineral exploitation routes. This is a clear “trade-off”: incentivizing African leaders to host killers… and, of course, “everyone pays the price.”

3

Why this move now? Because the UAE has realized that its military project in Sudan has failed and will not yield a victory granting it the desired control. Thus, it has begun searching for a “political foothold in Sudan.”
Just a few days ago (February 19–20), Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan participated in the International Quartet meeting in New York (UAE–Saudi Arabia–Egypt–USA), calling for an immediate humanitarian truce. This timing confirms that the UAE is shifting its efforts from direct military support—which failed to achieve victory—to diplomatic and political pressure to save its “Janjaweed” from total collapse, while opening African doors through its influence.
In the same Security Council session, Masad Paul called for a truce to salvage the remnants of the militia, allowing them to return to the political arena alongside the Al-Aweish group, which follows Hemeti.

4

The UAE is now attempting to “resurrect” Hemeti from his political grave to play a political role after his army and mercenaries were broken. Hemeti has appeared to achieve what his political fronts (Taasis, Wasimoud, and others) failed to accomplish, relying on doors opened by Shakhbout. The UAE seeks to politically recycle him as part of a broader solution.

5

Where can this criminal practice politics?
Regionally: the doors are closed; no recognition, no base. Even Khalifa Haftar was restrained through Egyptian-Saudi efforts and convinced that betting on Hemeti would fail, in deals exceeding $4 billion.
Internationally: impossible, as the “Nyala and El Fasher massacres” continue to haunt him, noted in the UN Human Rights Council committee report until yesterday.
Only some sub-Saharan African states remain. Here lies the paradox: the man who massacred African tribes in Darfur is welcomed by some African leaders on a red carpet. What kind of blood tie allows a criminal to wipe the victims’ blood in the clothes of their own people?
To fit his new stage, the criminal changed his image: he removed the “kandura,” turban, and jellabiya—items he linked to his rivals—and donned full African attire, preparing to address his new allies.

6

The real dilemma Hemeti and his entourage face is clear: why hasn’t he started his political movement at home? Simply because he lacks legitimacy and control even in the territories he occupies. If that were the case, he would appear in Nyala, Al-Duwayn, or El Fasher to meet his crowds. But he knows these oppressed cities are unsafe for him, and he cannot confront the people there as President Burhan does daily in markets and streets.

7

Hemeti has lost everything: the war, politics, the Arab and international spheres, and even the strongholds he occupies. All that remains are “rented platforms” provided by African leaders living off bribes, among whom he moves following Shakhbout’s footsteps—who himself flounders, seeking a way to wash the shame of his Janjaweed.