A Dangerous Sponsor

I first came across the Sudanese warlord Minni Minnawi while reporting on the Darfur atrocities 20 years ago. Minnawi was defending his people against the merciless Janjaweed militias then backed by the Sudanese Government in Khartoum.

So it was a special privilege to encounter Mr Minnawi again last month in Port Sudan, which became the temporary base for the Sudanese Government after Khartoum fell into enemy hands.

Mr Minnawi is no longer a rebel. As Governor of Darfur, he is today on the side of the official Government. His enemy, however, remains the same Janjaweed who were his deadly opponents two decades ago.

In the interim, the Janjaweed has changed its name to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It is still led, however, by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo Musa, more widely known as Hemedti.