Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces-led coalition has declared a parallel government, deepening the country’s crisis as the civil war enters its third year.
The announcement of the formation of a parallel administration, backed by the UAE, is a direct challenge to the military authorities in Khartoum.
Spokesperson Alaa El Din Nugud stated in a video that the newly-formed leadership body is named the “Presidential Council for the Transitional Peace Government,” and is chaired by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
He added that Abdelaziz al-Hilu was appointed as deputy, and Sudanese politician Mohammed Hassan Osman al-Ta’ishi was elected prime minister.
The coalition said in a statement: “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.”
It continued: “It also renews TASIS’s (the name of the coalition) commitment to building an inclusive homeland, and a new secular, democratic, decentralised, and voluntarily unified Sudan, founded on the principles of freedom, justice and equality.”
As of Saturday evening, Sudan’s official government had not publicly responded. However, Foreign Minister Ali Yousif Al-Sharif previously denounced any plans for a parallel administration. Speaking at a press conference on 23 February, he stated: “Such a move is unacceptable and will have no role in Sudan’s future.” He warned that Sudan rejects any recognition by foreign states of any parallel government.
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Those remarks came a day after the RSF and allied political and armed groups signed a political charter in Kenya. The document laid the groundwork for the declaration of a rival transitional authority.
The country remains locked in a devastating conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which began in April 2023. The army said in May that it had “completely driven the RSF out of the capital, Khartoum.”
The Sudanese Armed Forces is backed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, while the Rapid Support Forces is supported by the UAE.
The war has displaced between 13 and 14 million people and caused mass civilian casualties. Estimates put the death toll at more than 150,000 people.
Violence has intensified in Darfur, where the RSF has surrounded the city of El-Fasher, worsening hunger and civilian suffering.
Earlier this year, human rights organisations accused both factions of abuses. A Sudanese survivor said RSF fighters used rape and sexual violence to displace communities and assert territorial control.
In response to such allegations, the United States imposed sanctions on Hemedti. It accused the RSF under his command of executing civilians and obstructing humanitarian access.
Sudan’s downward spiral began after the fall of longtime president Omar al-Bashir in 2019. A military coup in 2021 ended the short-lived civilian government. Hemedti and General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan briefly shared power before their rivalry exploded into open war.
