Mr Dagalo’s paramilitary body, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is waging a war to the death against Sudan’s regular army, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), for control of the state. Since the fighting erupted last April, more than 7m Sudanese have been forced from their homes; 1.4m of them have fled to neighbouring countries. Khartoum, the capital, has been laid waste, while parts of the countryside are on the brink of famine.