Yousif Ibrahim Ismaeil
Youssif Ibrahim Ezzat Ismail (Arabic: يوسف إبراهيم عزت إسماعيل, born c. 1974) is a Sudanese‑Canadian lawyer, former rebel spokesman and political adviser who served as chief political adviser to Hemedti, commander of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), from 2021 until his dismissal in July 2024.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Ismail was born in Darfur, western Sudan, and grew up in an Arab family that later forged personal ties with the Dagalo clan. He studied law at Al Neelain University, where he was an active participant in pro‑democracy student forums. Later, he studied conflict resolution at the University of Winnipeg.[1]
Career
[edit]Early activism and rebel politics
[edit]During the Darfur rebellion in 2003, Ismaeil joined the Sudan Liberation Movement under Abdul Wahid al-Nur and later co‑founded the United Revolutionary Force Front (URFF), serving as its political secretary.[2] He represented the Liberation and Justice Movement during the 2010 Doha peace talks, where Qatari security agents detained and mistreated him for two months after he criticised their role in the negotiations.[2] The episode prompted a long‑running human‑rights action in Canada aimed at compelling Qatar to investigate the abuse.[2]
Settling in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ismaeil worked as a taxi driver while practising immigration and human‑rights advocacy. He acquired Canadian passport in 2007.[2][3]
Political adviser to the RSF (2021–2024)
[edit]Hemedti appointed Ismaeil, publicly known inside Sudan by the nom‑de‑guerre Yousif Ezzat, as his chief political adviser in 2021. From the outbreak of the RSF–Sudan Armed Forces war in April 2023 he became the militia's principal civilian spokesman, giving interviews to regional and international media in which he blamed Islamist officers inside the army for the conflict.[1]
Dismissal
[edit]On 10 July 2024 the RSF announced that Hemedti had "terminated" Ismail's assignment as adviser.[4] The New Arab reported that internal disputes over the role of Hemedti's brother, ʿAbdel‑Rahim Dagalo, precipitated the move.[5] Sudan Tribune the same day noted that Ismaeil claimed to have requested his own release after the RSF reshuffled its civilian wing.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "How a man from Winnipeg became the chief diplomat for a warring Sudanese militia". The Globe and Mail. June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Sanders, Carol (October 14, 2014). "Oct 2014: Tortured Winnipeg man decries Supreme Court decision in favour of state immunity".
- ^ https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.6844405
- ^ "Sudan's RSF commander Mohamed Dagalo fires political adviser". The National.
- ^ "RSF commander Mohamed Dagalo fires political adviser".
- ^ "RSF's Hemetti relieves his political adviser". Sudan Tribune. July 11, 2024.