Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Photo: Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A fake account subscribed to Twitter Blue claiming to represent the paramilitary group fighting for control of Sudan has falsely claimed its leader has died in the fighting.After Elon Musk’s Twitter removed legacy blue ticks, the tweet from the fake @RSFSudann account claiming to represent the Rapid Support Forces does have a verified blue tick, but the actual RSF account, @RSFSudan, does not.The fake tweet wrongly claimed that RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, otherwise known as Hemedti, had died from injuries sustained in combat.
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The RSF is currently fighting Sudan’s armed forces, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in violence that has left hundreds dead.According to Twitter’s own public metrics, the fake tweet has been viewed 1 million times. While many of the quote tweets and replies were in response to it being fake, many took the tweet’s false information at face value.Contacted for a response, Twitter’s press department responded with a poop emoji.