RSF paramilitary-led coalition forms parallel government in war-torn Sudan
The group, which calls itself the Leadership Council of the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS), said RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo will chair the 15-member presidential council of the government, which includes regional governors.
Sudanese politician Mohammed Hassan Osman al-Ta'ishi will serve as prime minister, TASIS said.
'On the occasion of this historic achievement, the leadership council extends its greetings and congratulations to the Sudanese people who have endured the flames of devastating wars for decades,' the coalition said in a statement.
'It also renews TASIS's commitment to building an inclusive homeland, and a new secular, democratic, decentralized, and voluntarily unified Sudan, founded on the principles of freedom, justice and equality.'
The new self-proclaimed government could deepen divisions and lead to competing institutions as the war rages on between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
In May, the Sudanese army said it had completely driven the RSF out of the capital, Khartoum.
The fighting since April 2023 has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 13 million people, according to United Nations estimates, resulting in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
In recent months, the violence has been intensifying in the western region of Darfur, where the RSF has been besieging the city of el-Fasher, compounding hunger in the area.
Rights groups have accused both the RSF and SAF of rights abuses. Earlier this year, Amnesty International said RSF fighters were inflicting 'widespread sexual violence' on women and girls to 'assert control and displace communities across the country'.
Earlier this year, the US imposed sanctions on Hemedti, accusing the RSF of committing 'serious human rights abuses' under his leadership, including executing civilians and blocking humanitarian aid.
Sudan has seen growing instability since longtime President Omar al-Bashir was removed from power in 2019 after months of antigovernment protests.
In October 2021, the Sudanese military staged a coup against the civilian government of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, leading to his resignation in early 2022.
Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti had shared power after the coup, but then began fighting for control of the state and its resources in April 2023.
Although the rivalry between al-Burhan and Hemedti does not appear to be ideological, numerous attempts to reach a peaceful resolution to the crisis have failed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
17 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
At least 22 killed at Angola fuel price hike protests, authorities say
At least 22 people were killed and 197 others were injured in violence that erupted during protests against a fuel price hike this week, Angola's government has said. The unrest broke out on Monday when minibus taxi associations launched a three-day strike against a government decision to increase the price of diesel by one-third, part of efforts to curb costly subsidies and shore up public finances. Looting, vandalism and clashes with police started in the capital, Luanda, and then spread to six other provinces. Sporadic gunfire was heard across Luanda and several other cities on Monday and Tuesday as people looted shops and clashed with police. President Joao Lourenco's cabinet met on Wednesday and received an update on the security situation and police response. A presidency statement said there had been 22 deaths, 197 people injured and 1,214 arrests. Sixty-six shops and 25 vehicles had been vandalised, and some supermarkets and warehouses looted, the statement said. The statement added that the army was deployed to restore order as the riots 'triggered a climate of widespread insecurity'. Interior Minister Manuel Homem told reporters that a police officer was among the 22 people killed. The streets of Luanda were tense and largely empty on Wednesday, although there were some queues outside petrol stations and some shops. There was a heavy presence of security forces. Many shops remained closed, but public transport slowly resumed after a two-day standstill. When the latest wave of protests began two weeks ago, Human Rights Watch accused the police of excessive force against what was a largely peaceful demonstration. Police unnecessarily fired tear gas and rubber bullets and assaulted protesters in those demonstrations, the US-based rights group said. Angola has been gradually removing fuel subsidies since 2023, when a petrol price hike also triggered deadly protests, encouraged by the International Monetary Fund among others. Authorities have often been accused of clamping down harshly on protests to silence dissent in Angola, an oil-rich nation on Africa's Atlantic coast where the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola party has been in power for 50 years – since independence from Portugal in 1975. In a joint statement Wednesday, the opposition UNITA and Bloco Democratico parties said Angola was in a 'severe economic and social crisis' that was a result of government policies 'disconnected from the country's reality'. Subsidies amounted to as much as 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) last year, according to the country's finance minister.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Al Jazeera
Is ISIL a growing threat in the DR Congo and East Africa?
In the early hours of Sunday, July 27, armed fighters attacked a Catholic church in the Komanda region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where about a hundred people had gathered for a night vigil. Dozens of people were killed and others taken captive in the assault, which drew outrage and condemnation from the United Nations and the Vatican. Women, men and at least nine children were reported to be among the victims of the Saint Anuarite church attack, according to Congolese officials, while several children aged between 12 and 14 were kidnapped. Houses and shops near the church were also attacked and burned, with authorities finding more bodies there. At least 43 people were killed overall. The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – an armed group operating in the border regions linking the DRC to neighbouring Uganda, and which has pledged allegiance to ISIL (ISIS) – has since claimed the attack in a Telegram post. It is one of several recent attacks from a group that experts say is staging a major resurgence in a country already fragile from armed fighting. It also comes soon after the DRC government signed key peace roadmap agreements with both Rwanda and the M23 rebel group that has been advancing in the country's east, raising questions about the timing and motivation behind the violence. 'These targeted attacks against defenceless civilians, particularly in places of worship, are not only appalling, but also in violation of all human rights standards and international humanitarian law,' Vivian van de Perre, acting head of MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, said in a statement following Sunday's assault. Pope Leo, too, expressed sorrow a day after the attack on the parish, which had been celebrating its 25th anniversary. 'His Holiness implores God that the blood of these martyrs may be a seed of peace, reconciliation, brotherhood and love for all the Congolese people,' wrote Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, in a telegram to DRC's Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu. Making of the ADF Sunday's attack represents just one of several deadly ADF assaults in the DRC's east in recent months. The ADF, also referred to by some experts and institutions as ISIS-Central Africa (IS-CA), originally began as a rebel group in Uganda in 1994, where it accused the government in Kampala of persecuting Muslims. In 2002, the ADF crossed the border into eastern DRC after offensives by the Ugandan army saw it lose its footing. The group attacked civilians in both countries from its base in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces, with researchers noting that its tactics became more violent over the years. Jamil Mukulu, the group's founder, was arrested in Tanzania in 2015, leading to internal disruption. Under a new leader, 48-year-old Musa Seka Baluku, the ADF declared allegiance to the global armed network, ISIL, in 2019. Although ISIL no longer has the ability to hold ground or control a caliphate in the Middle East, experts say it has devolved its structure, focusing on regional affiliates, particularly in parts of Africa. A UN Experts Group report found that ISIL central financially supports the ADF, whose force of about 1,000 to 1,500 members is usually armed with small arms, mortars, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). The ADF reportedly controls camps with internal security services, clinics, prisons and schools for children. 'The group intends to advance extreme Islamic ideology,' Nico Minde, an analyst with the Institute for Security Studies, told Al Jazeera. 'It is [also] believed that it is seeking revenge for military offensives by the Congolese army, Ugandan forces and MONUSCO peacekeepers,' he said. It is unclear how many civilians have died in ADF attacks, but experts agree it likely runs into the hundreds, if not thousands, in its nearly 30 years of existence. The United States, which designated ADF/IS-CA a 'terror' organisation in 2021, describes it as 'one of the most lethal terrorist groups in Africa' based on the number of civilian deaths linked to its members. An earlier reprisal assault by the ADF between July 8 and 9 saw 41 civilians killed in Irumu territory, Ituri, according to MONUSCO. In May, it was North Kivu's Babili sector that was attacked, with 18 civilians killed. The group also claimed a separate attack in January on the town of Lubero in North Kivu, with 41 people killed and 11 kidnapped. Multiple armed groups in the eastern DRC The ADF is one of a multitude of armed groups – some experts say about 100 – operating in the mineral-rich but poorly governed eastern DRC. The region is one of the most complex conflict zones in the world. ADF's attacks in July came as the DRC was enjoying some relief from the M23 rebels, arguably the strongest of all the armed groups. M23, the UN says, is backed by Rwanda. Aiming to take power in Kinshasa, it launched lightning offensives in January and seized vast swaths of territory in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. Thousands died and hundreds of thousands were displaced in the six-month war. In July, the US and Qatar brokered DRC peace efforts with Rwanda and M23, respectively, leading to a ceasefire. Minde of the ISS said the ADF is likely taking advantage of the military resources diverted to confront M23, resulting in more frequent attacks since January. 'Strategically, this allows them to freely move in Ituri and North Kivu while attention remains fixed on the M23 conflict,' he said. The group's focus on rural communities, Minde added, was to foster fear and dependence, facilitate control over land and illicit resources, and to find more recruits. Combined, M23 and the ADF have wrought the most havoc in eastern DRC, with some research suggesting that there might have been a non-aggression pact between the two at some point. The Armed Conflict and Location Event Data Project (ACLED) noted in a June report that M23 and ADF/IS-CA action between January and March 2025 killed 1,600 people, making that quarter the deadliest since 2002, when the DRC was in the throes of a civil war. Uganda's stakes in the ADF battle Uganda poses the main challenge to the ADF. Some 2,000-4,000 Ugandan soldiers have deployed in the DRC since November 2021, where they lead Operation Shujaa, which also involves the Congolese army and MONUSCO forces. Kampala's decision to deploy followed a series of bomb attacks in Uganda that year. Since 2021, two leaders of separate ADF factions – Salim Mohammed and Benjamin Kisokeranio – have been captured. However, there are concerns that Uganda is expanding into territory not affected by ADF attacks. Due to the DRC's civil war history, which saw countries neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda take over Congolese territory and reportedly steal minerals, foreign armies on DRC soil remain a testy subject in Kinshasa. In June, the Ugandan army spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye, defended his government's stance while speaking to Al Jazeera, admitting that the country needed to protect commercial interests in the DRC. Uganda exports goods like palm oil, cement, and refined petroleum to the DRC, and is Kinshasa's biggest trading partner in the sub-region. 'Who is consuming Uganda's products?' Kulayigye asked Al Jazeera at the time. 'Can commerce take place where there is instability? If we have commercial interests in eastern DRC, are those protectable or not?' Already, Uganda has a negative reputation in the DRC. Kampala allegedly backed the M23 armed group by allowing the group passage into Congolese territory, according to a UN expert group report. President Yoweri Museveni and Rwanda's Paul Kagame are longtime allies. Back in 2022, the Ugandan army chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Museveni's son, openly expressed support for M23 on the social media site, X. The ADF's increasing attacks could lead to rising insecurity in the fragile DRC, and across the sub-region, Minde of ISS said. '[ADF] might want to take advantage of the pacifist moment following the US and Qatar-brokered peace deal, to remind the world of its existence,' he added.
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Why Sudan's RSF chose this parallel government ahead of peace talks
The Tasis Alliance, a coalition of Sudanese armed groups formed in February, has unveiled a parallel 'transitional peace' government to rival Sudan's wartime government in Port Sudan. Tasis is based on a partnership between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), a powerful armed group that controls swaths of South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in southern Sudan. SPLM-N has been fighting a rebellion against the central government and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for 40 years – a conflict rooted in aggressive land grabs by central elites. The RSF and SAF are former allies, yet a power struggle triggered an all-out civil war in April 2023. Analysts have told Al Jazeera that Tasis aims to challenge SAF for legitimacy and power after more than two years of conflict. 'The Tasis government is the RSF's latest desperate attempt to rebrand itself as a state authority rather than a militia,' said Anette Hoffmann, an expert on Sudan at the Clingendale Institute think-tank in the Netherlands. 'Yet all their actions have continued to prove the opposite. While announcing their government … RSF forces and their allies were besieging entire state capitals and starving innocent civilians,' she told Al Jazeera. Tasis announced its government just three days before a new round of Sudan peace talks is set to begin on July 29 in the United States. The talks will bring together representatives from the Sudan Quartet – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the US. Neither SAF nor the RSF will be included in this round, according to Africa Intelligence. Regardless, the RSF has long been wary of being dismissed as a mere 'armed group' in ceasefire negotiations and left out of the circles of power and influence in a post-war Sudan due to a lack of international legitimacy. By forming its own government, the Tasis Alliance aims to garner recognition from some friendly states and boost its bargaining position in future negotiations, said Kholood Khair, an expert on Sudan and the founder of the Confluence Advisory think-tank. 'What's interesting is that there has been so little disclosed about these new talks, yet it has started a fury across Sudan and catalysed the formation of these two governments,' Khair told Al Jazeera. She added that the army adopted a similar ploy in May when it appointed Kamel Idris as prime minister in Port Sudan, a strategic city on the Red Sea Coast. Idris recently appointed five new ministers to round out his new government, just a day after Tasis announced its parallel administration. Like Port Sudan, the RSF-backed government is run by a council of military elites and civilian loyalists. The RSF's leader, Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo, heads the Tasis's 15-member Presidential Council. SPLM-N leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu serves as his deputy. A reported 47 percent of posts in the new administration went to RSF-aligned armed commanders and civil servants, while SPLM-N was given about one-third of the posts. The rest were handed out to smaller armed groups and political parties who advantageously joined Tasis to boost their relevance, as previously reported by Al Jazeera. Post appointees include Suleiman Sandal from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) – a rebel group that emerged out of the Darfur wars and splintered in the current war – who was made interior minister. Al-Tahir Hajar, from the Sudan Liberation Forces Gathering (SLFG), which also emerged from the Darfur wars, is a prominent member of the Tasis leadership council. The prime minister of the Tasis government is Mohamed Hassan al-Ta'aishi, a politician from Darfur and a former member of the transitional Sovereign Council that led Sudan shortly after former President Omar al-Bashir was toppled in 2019. The Sovereign Council was headed by SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti. The two were supposed to step down from power in 2021, yet they orchestrated a coup to dismiss the then-civilian cabinet and dash hopes for democracy. Since SAF recaptured the capital Khartoum from the RSF in March, the former has been in control of the east and centre of the country, while the RSF has attempted to consolidate its control over the western and southern regions. The Tasis government may have ended up cementing that division more than helping it gain an advantage at the negotiating table, said Alan Boswell, an expert on Sudan with International Crisis Group. 'The RSF aims to be legitimate as a national actor,' he said. 'Yet [this government] makes de facto partition all the more likely, even if that is not the strategic intent.' Khair added that the creation of a second government further incentivises armed groups to accumulate power in hopes of scoring a post in one of the two administrations. 'This [new government] really catalyses the proliferation of different armed groups,' she said. 'More armed groups will mobilise … to win a position [in one of the two governments] during wartime.' 'This is a reality that really entrenches war dynamics.'
