Former Winnipeg cab driver is a political adviser to a general in Sudan’s deadly conflict

The Sudanese Winnipegger said he was a political adviser to the general who led a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in a deadly struggle for power in Sudan, a job that left few people in Sudan small and tight-knit. community question involvement with one of the warring factions in the conflict of the month.

Yousif Ibrahim Ismaeil, 49, said in a telephone interview with the CBC on May 5 that he is a lawyer originally from Darfur in western Sudan who came to Canada as a refugee in 2003. He said he is a Canadian citizen who moved to Manitoba in 2007 and worked as a taxi driver to pay for his post-secondary education in conflict resolution and international development studies at the University of Winnipeg.

Speaking via WhatsApp from what he called “a safe place to communicate with Wi-Fi” in Khartoum, Ismaeil told the CBC that he went to Sudan after the coup in October 2021, when the Sudanese army and the RSF overthrew the civilian government.

“I work in the political file. My job is to work with the (civilian) party to return to the transitional government and bring democracy,” he said. “That’s the role I played during this time.”

He has spoken to international media about the conflict.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, is the leader of the RSF and has been a representative of Sudan’s governing council since 2019. He is in a power struggle with General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Sudanese army chief and leader of Sudan’s governing council.

Fighting between the two sides, which broke out on April 15, has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, left hundreds dead – including civilians – and injured thousands more. Both sides blame each other for provoking the violence.

Conflict erupted in Khartoum and began to spread beyond the capital.

The revolution in 2019 paves the way for an advisory role

Ismaeil said he was RSF’s political adviser because he had followed Hemedti since the revolution in Sudan in 2019 that led to the ouster of former autocratic president Omar al-Bashir. Plans to complete the transition to a civilian-led government were canceled due to disagreements between al-Burhan and Hemedti.

As the new transition plan is being developed, Hemedti is closer to the civilian party of the coalition, Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), which shared power with the military between Bashir’s ouster and the 2021 coup.

“I have advised him [Hemedti]. He is my friend, my first grade classmate,” said Ismaeil. He said that he had known Hemedti for a long time and supported his conviction.

Ismaeil spoke to CBC Radio in 2014. He said he was invited to Doha, Qatar in 2010, where he is alleged to have been drugged and held against his will after refusing to accept Qatar’s position in the peace process related to the conflict in Darfur in western Sudan.

Father of 2 attends Sudanese community meetings in Winnipeg

Ismaeil is the father of two children. He and his wife are now separated.

Ismaeil told the CBC that he believed in what he was doing. But some members of the Sudanese community in Winnipeg question his relationship with Hemedti and the RSF.

Mekki Mohamed, secretary general of the executive committee of the Sudanese Canadian Community in Manitoba, said he has known Ismaeil since 2009. They attended the University of Winnipeg at the time.

“They attend any meeting … summer picnic … and also any party about Sudan’s independence day, Eid al-Fitr celebration,” Mohamed said.

Mohamed has family south of Khartoum and is worried for their safety.

Ismaeil who was angry with Mohamed chose to go to Sudan to become Hemedti’s political advisor. While he didn’t think Ismaeil had much of an impact on the situation, he did hope that he could end the war.

“Stay together, hand over power to civilians,” Mohamed said.

Like Mohamed, Winnipegger Noureddin Suleiman is worried about the safety of his mother and sister who live in Khartoum. He said he was surprised by the position Ismaeil took.

“We are going to a peaceful transition, to a peaceful government, to a civilian government,” Suleiman said. “Now they are starting this war. What surprises me is that they are defending the actions of the militia.”

Not everyone feels the same way.

Sudanese Winnipegger Ahmad Hamid told the CBC he saw Hemedti as the lesser of two evils and argued that if he took power, he would be forced to hand over the country to a civilian-led government. He said al-Burhan was loyal to Bashir’s previous regime.

The feds would not comment on Ismaeil, citing privacy

The United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday, May 11, adopted a resolution to monitor more closely allegations of rights violations in Sudan.

Lloyd Axworthy, a former foreign minister, said Canadians linked to violent conflict groups abroad could be prosecuted and prosecuted in Canada under the Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act.

“Working with that group makes them deeply involved in what I think is one of the most egregious and horrific acts in which both armed forces have generally destroyed tens of thousands of lives,” Axworthy said.

WATCH | Sudan’s humanitarian crisis worsens as ceasefire fails:

Sudan’s humanitarian crisis has worsened as a ceasefire has failed

The cease-fire meant providing a window for the war in Sudan to never start, leaving the humanitarian situation on the ground dire.

David Matas is a Winnipeg-based human rights lawyer who wrote a letter to the Qatari government on Ismaeil’s behalf following the allegations in 2014. He is no longer a lawyer and could not speak to specifics, but said that not everyone is connected to the government. or entities that commit atrocities.

“They need to be in touch with the action and not just like that,” Matas said. “There must be something wrong that the accused did, as opposed to an entity that is associated with wrongdoing.”

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said it was “unable to speculate” about Ismaeil for privacy reasons.

In response to the CBC, IRCC said there are consequences for citizens involved in conflicts abroad.

“The government has decided to deny safe haven in Canada to war criminals and those believed to have committed or been involved in war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide,” IRCC said in an email.

Ismaeil has not been accused of wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.

“I manage the political side with a political party but I don’t commit crimes,” he said. “I’m trying to help and I’m trying to push for peace.”

South Sudan Winnipegger weighs in on the conflict

Reuben Garang, a Winnipegger from South Sudan, was displaced from his home in 1987 by a brutal civil war before coming to Canada in 2004.

“The Rapid Support Force … was created by Omar al-Bashir to help the Arabization agenda of the Darfur region,” Garang said. “Now they have gained power and influence in the region and now they are fighting for control of the country.”

Ismaeil told the CBC that he is in Sudan because of his faith.

“We work for peace, justice, development and democracy,” Ismaeil said. “This must be the future of Sudan.”