Sudan paramilitary declares rival government amid ongoing conflict
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has announced the formation of a rival government, two years since the country descended into a brutal war that has left tens of thousands dead and triggered what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — also known as Hemedti — declared on Tuesday the establishment of the “Government of Peace and Unity” in areas under its control. The move directly challenges the army-led administration headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
“On this anniversary, we proudly declare the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity, a broad coalition that reflects the true face of Sudan,” Dagalo said on Telegram.
The RSF and its allies had already signed a charter in Nairobi in February, laying out their intention to form an alternative authority.
Dagalo said they had now endorsed a transitional constitution, which he described as a “roadmap for a new Sudan”. The document proposes a 15-member presidential council representing all regions of the country.
Experts have long warned that the protracted conflict risks permanently fracturing Sudan. Sharath Srinivasan, a Sudan specialist at the University of Cambridge, told the AFP news agency that the RSF’s entrenchment in Darfur could result in “de facto separation.”
Since war erupted on 15 April 2023, nearly 13 million people have been displaced, with no political solution in sight. The fighting began after months of tension between Sudan’s military and the RSF, once close allies who jointly led the 2021 coup that derailed a civilian-led transition.
As the RSF seeks to consolidate control in western Sudan, the paramilitary and its allied militias are facing renewed international scrutiny over their conduct in the war.
The United States on Tuesday criticised the RSF for attacking civilians in and around the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps – home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people – in the North Darfur region in recent days.
Similar news
