Ruto is the real commander of Sudan's RSF - Gachagua

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has branded President William Ruto “the real commander” of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over alleged shady business deals with the paramilitary group’s leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias Hemedti.

Amid RSF’s ongoing war with Sudan’s army for the past two years, Gachagua claims Ruto has been conducting gold trade with Hemedti so that the RSF leader can acquire money to buy firearms for the paramilitary force.

“The real commander of RSF is not Hemedti, it is William Ruto. The money from gold is being cleaned through Kenya to buy firearms,” Gachagua told KTN in a Monday night interview.

The former DP, who has been critical of Ruto's administration since his October impeachment, claims the purported dealings go back to 2023 when Ruto allegedly coerced him into inviting Hemedti on an official visit to Kenya.

“Ruto called me to his office and said, diplomatically, a president can only invite another president for a visit. But he had a vice president he wanted to invite to Kenya, so he wanted me to do it on his behalf,” Gachagua told the broadcaster.

“He had a letter, which I signed and after Hemeti came, we discussed about the Kenya and Sudan, then I took him to the President… Later on, I realised they are doing business.”

Gachagua alleges Ruto later directed him to invite Hemedti again, which he purportedly refused on grounds of the numerous sanctions against the RSF leader by other countries over the war, which to date has killed 150,000 people and forced more than 11 million others from their homes.

“I told him that as a father and a Christian, I cannot be a part of it and cannot invite him,” said Gachagua.

“He told me I must invite him and asked me, Do you know how much I will lose by you not inviting him here?”

The former DP claims he refused to yield to his then-boss’s demands, after which his forged signature was purportedly used to invite Hemedti.

The visit was eventually withdrawn after Gachagua confronted Ruto about it and threatened not to host the RSF leader, claims Gachagua.

“He told me, You will see me!” he said, claiming Ruto accused him of blackmail.

“I am available to give evidence. I ask the international community to sanction William Ruto, and the Sudan crisis will be solved. Sanctioning Hemedti is pointless,” the former DP added.

The damning allegations come just over a month after Kenya hosted RSF and allied groups in Nairobi to sign a transitional constitution, taking them closer to forming a parallel government.

It led to Sudan indefinitely suspending all imports from Kenya to “protect its national interests and security concerns”, which Kenya downplayed as a “gross overreaction.”