Sudan general warns against vandalism ahead of mass protest

A top Sudanese general yesterday warned he will not tolerate any vandalism at a planned mass protest, but insisted the ruling generals would hand power to a civilian administration.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo’s warning came as the country’s umbrella protest movement called for a “million-man” march in Khartoum on Sunday against the generals who have seized power since ousting longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir on April 11.

“There are vandals, there are people who have an agenda, a hidden agenda, we don’t want problems,” Dagalo, the deputy chief of the ruling military council, told a rally in comments broadcast by state television and apparently directed at organisers of the protest.

Dagalo commands the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been heavily deployed in Khartoum since a deadly crackdown on a protest camp on June 3 left dozens dead and hundreds wounded.

Dagalo, widely known by his nickname Himeidti, justified the heavy presence of security forces in the capital.

“The military forces who are deployed in Khartoum are there for the security of the people, not to disturb them,” he said.