The Benevolent and Pious Brothers of the RSF

Analyzing a shift in the Janjaweed propaganda strategy

Just over a month into the Sudan conflict, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have begun to produce more propaganda portraying themselves as a benevolent occupying authority in Khartoum, in addition to their usual triumphalist combat videos.

A spokesperson who helps them to convey this image is Omer Jibril Hamed, who has a relaxed, gentle demeanor that can put people at ease. Omer appeared in numerous official RSF videos and also runs his own Facebook and TikTok accounts.

For example, in a video May 15 he spoke with citizens in East Nile standing next to a pile of stolen goods, claiming RSF had stopped the robbers and would protect citizens from thievery. In another video May 18 he visited wounded SAF prisoners and greeted them in a friendly way, asking about how they were doing. He posted the video with a broken heart emoji and sad face.

Other members of the RSF media team are taking a similar approach. Recent official videos from the militia show RSF handing out foodstuffs to needy citizens, arresting alleged looters, and guarding water and electrical engineers as they restore services.

Apart from projecting a friendly image to the public, Omer represents a celebrity role model for the typical RSF fighter of the smartphone generation. He is the same age, religion, and ethnicity as many RSF fighters but has greater eloquence and political acuity than the typical fighter. He typically begins his videos with the “bismallah,” and he has filmed in religious settings, such as seated in front of a mosque.

Omer has even offered the occasional glimpse into his personal life, portraying himself as a young man “dying of love” in a recent video in which he denied rumors of his death in battle. He is skilled in the art of reciting traditional poetry and has done so both at public gatherings and on the radio (FM 96.6 in Khartoum). These personal touches enhance Omer’s likability and relatability with his fellow RSF.

Notably, Omer is ethnically a Darfur Arab and very light-skinned, like the RSF spokesperson “Al Fatih” whom I write about before. He therefore represents the racial, Arabist ideal that is implicit or explicit in RSF political discourse. Although ethnicity is a sensitive and complex topic to talk about, the reality is that ethnicity is an important dynamic in the ongoing conflict, and it plays a role in RSF propaganda.