Sudan's RSF-led Coalition Forms Parallel Government amid Fears of Country's Split
The move challenges the military-backed administration, raising concerns over creating a permanent division in the war-torn Sudan and further deepening its crisis after more than two years of deadly conflict. RSF Parallel Government
During a press conference in the RSF-controlled city of Nyala in South Darfur, the RSF announced the formation of a 15-member presidential council, with RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), as its president.
The rebel leader, Abdelaziz al-Hilu, who controls parts of southern Sudan, was appointed as vice president.
Moreover, Mohamed Hassan al-Ta'ayshi, a former member of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council from 2019 to 2021, will act as prime minister. The council also includes several political figures, former officials and newly-appointed governors.
The RSF appointed El-Hadi Idris as the governor of Darfur, which now has two rival governors, as current governor, Minni Arko Minawi, is aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Sudan's Conflict
The civil war in Sudan broke out in April 2023, with the SAF and RSF engaging in deadly fighting. The conflict has spilt the country in two, with the SAF controlling the center, north and east, and the RSF holding almost all of the western Darfur region and parts of Kordofan.
In March 2025, the SAF regained control over most parts of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, in a significant victory for the country's army against the RSF. The SAF also maintain control of El-Fasher, located more than 800 kilometers southwest of Khartoum. El-Fasher is the only state capital in Darfur the RSF does not control.
The UN described the war in Sudan as 'the world's most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis,' killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions inside Sudan and to neighboring countries. It has displaced more than 14 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine. SAF-aligned Government
In May 2025, the Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, appointed Kamil Idriss as the country's new prime minister.
The move followed a pledge in February to form a technocratic wartime government to help 'complete what remains of our military objectives, which is liberating Sudan from these rebels,' Al-Burhan said.
However, Idriss' government, which enjoys international recognition, still has three unfilled cabinet positions. Fears of More Division
The RSF parallel government followed an agreement signed in February among paramilitary, rebel and civilian groups during talks in Nairobi, which set the groundwork for the parallel government. The paramilitary group announced in April it would form a parallel government, sparking international concerns that the country could remain split.
During the London Conference on Sudan in mid-April, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed Al-Khuraiji, condemned attempts to form parallel governments as 'illegitimate,' warning they risk derailing peace efforts and deepening divisions. He insisted solutions must respect Sudan's sovereignty and involve only its legitimate institutions.
The RSF recent announcement has sparked fears of deepening divisions in Sudan as it directly challenges the internationally-recognized government. In the light of this, UN officials warned that the RSF parallel government could further exacerbate Sudan's fragmentation and complicate efforts to end the conflict.
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Arab News
10 hours ago
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Sudan's paramilitaries launch parallel govt, deepening the crisis
CAIRO: A paramilitary group and its allies in Sudan said they formed a parallel government in areas under the group's control, which are located mainly in the western region of Darfur where allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity are being investigated. The move was likely to deepen the crisis in Sudan, which plunged into chaos when tensions between the country's military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, exploded into fighting in April 2023 in the capital, Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. The RSF-led Tasis Alliance appointed Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the commander of the paramilitary group, as head of the sovereign council in the new administration. The 15-member council serves as head of the state. The RSF grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias, mobilized two decades ago by then-President Omar Bashir against populations that identify as Central or East African in Darfur. The Janjaweed were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities. In the current war, the RSF has been accused of numerous atrocities. The Biden administration slapped Dagalo with sanctions, saying the RSF and its proxies were committing genocide. The RSF has denied committing genocide. The alliance spokesman Alaa Al-Din Naqd announced the new administration in a video statement from the Darfur city of Nyala, which is controlled by the RSF and its allied Janjaweed. Mohammed Hassan Al-Taishi, a civilian politician who was a member of a military-civilian sovereign council that ruled Sudan following the 2019 overthrow of Al-Bashir, was named as prime minister in the RSF-controlled government. Rebel leader Abdelaziz Al-Hilu, who commands the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) which is active in the southern Kodrofan region, was appointed as Dagalo's deputy in the council. The SPLM-N is a breakaway faction of the SPLM, the ruling party of neighboring South Sudan. The announcement came five months after the RSF and its allies signed a charter in February in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, with the aim of establishing a parallel government in RSF-controlled areas. At the time, many countries, including the US, rejected the RSF efforts and condemned the signing by the paramilitary group and its allies of what they called 'transitional constitution' in the Kenya-hosted conference. The Foreign Ministry of the internationally recognized government in Khartoum condemned the announcement in a statement. It called it a 'fake government' and urged the international community to not engage with the RSF-led administration. The RSF-led move was likely to deepen the division in Sudan. Yasir Arman, a rebel leader, said the move is likely to prolong the conflict and divide Sudan between two rival administrations.
Asharq Al-Awsat
19 hours ago
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Sudanese Coalition Led by Paramilitary RSF Announces Parallel Government
A Sudanese coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Saturday a parallel government, a move fiercely opposed by the army that could drive the country further towards partition as a two-year-old civil war rages. The government led by RSF General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, was announced west of the country. The RSF and its allies signed in March a transitional constitution outlining a federal, secular state divided into eight regions, Reuters said. The RSF controls much of the west of the country such as the vast Darfur region and some other areas but is being pushed back from central Sudan by the army, which has recently regained control over the capital Khartoum. The military led by career army officer General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had condemned the idea of the RSF creating a parallel government and promised to keep fighting until it controls all of Sudan, which has been plagued by conflicts, coups, poverty and hunger. In February, the RSF and other allied rebel leaders agreed in Kenya to form a government for a "New Sudan," aiming to challenge the army-led administration's legitimacy and secure advanced arms imports. Dagalo, a former militia leader and one of Sudan's wealthiest people, known as Hemedti, was hit with sanctions by the US, which accused him of genocide earlier this year. He had previously shared power with Burhan after veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir's ouster in 2019. However, a 2021 coup by the two forces ousted civilian politicians, sparking a war over troop integration during a planned transition to democracy. Burhan was sanctioned in January by the US which accused him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. The ongoing conflict has devastated Sudan, creating an "unprecedented" humanitarian crisis in the country, with half the population facing spreading hunger and famine, according to the United Nations.
Leaders
19 hours ago
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Sudan's RSF-led Coalition Forms Parallel Government amid Fears of Country's Split
A political coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced on Saturday the formation of a rival government in Sudan, reported AFP. The move challenges the military-backed administration, raising concerns over creating a permanent division in the war-torn Sudan and further deepening its crisis after more than two years of deadly conflict. RSF Parallel Government During a press conference in the RSF-controlled city of Nyala in South Darfur, the RSF announced the formation of a 15-member presidential council, with RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), as its president. The rebel leader, Abdelaziz al-Hilu, who controls parts of southern Sudan, was appointed as vice president. Moreover, Mohamed Hassan al-Ta'ayshi, a former member of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council from 2019 to 2021, will act as prime minister. The council also includes several political figures, former officials and newly-appointed governors. The RSF appointed El-Hadi Idris as the governor of Darfur, which now has two rival governors, as current governor, Minni Arko Minawi, is aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Sudan's Conflict The civil war in Sudan broke out in April 2023, with the SAF and RSF engaging in deadly fighting. The conflict has spilt the country in two, with the SAF controlling the center, north and east, and the RSF holding almost all of the western Darfur region and parts of Kordofan. In March 2025, the SAF regained control over most parts of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, in a significant victory for the country's army against the RSF. The SAF also maintain control of El-Fasher, located more than 800 kilometers southwest of Khartoum. El-Fasher is the only state capital in Darfur the RSF does not control. The UN described the war in Sudan as 'the world's most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis,' killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions inside Sudan and to neighboring countries. It has displaced more than 14 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine. SAF-aligned Government In May 2025, the Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council and the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, appointed Kamil Idriss as the country's new prime minister. The move followed a pledge in February to form a technocratic wartime government to help 'complete what remains of our military objectives, which is liberating Sudan from these rebels,' Al-Burhan said. However, Idriss' government, which enjoys international recognition, still has three unfilled cabinet positions. Fears of More Division The RSF parallel government followed an agreement signed in February among paramilitary, rebel and civilian groups during talks in Nairobi, which set the groundwork for the parallel government. The paramilitary group announced in April it would form a parallel government, sparking international concerns that the country could remain split. During the London Conference on Sudan in mid-April, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Waleed Al-Khuraiji, condemned attempts to form parallel governments as 'illegitimate,' warning they risk derailing peace efforts and deepening divisions. He insisted solutions must respect Sudan's sovereignty and involve only its legitimate institutions. The RSF recent announcement has sparked fears of deepening divisions in Sudan as it directly challenges the internationally-recognized government. In the light of this, UN officials warned that the RSF parallel government could further exacerbate Sudan's fragmentation and complicate efforts to end the conflict. Short link : Post Views: 3
