Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) named a prime minister and a presidential council to lead a government to rival the army-backed administration in a move that risks further dividing the war-torn country.
The army-backed government has condemned the RSF's announcement, describing it as a “phantom government” and accusing the group of “disregarding the suffering of the Sudanese people”.
“This is clear evidence of the defeat and rout of the rebel group at the hands of our valiant armed forces,” the army-backed Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
The RSF appointed Mohamed Hassan Al Tayashi – a former member of Sudan's Transitional Sovereignty Council from 2019 until 2021 as Prime Minister. The announcement was made from the city of Nyala, in Darfur, where the group's tribal power base resides.
Authorities accused the RSF of deliberately trying to undermine the military-aligned government, which has been the ruling body of the Afro-Arab country since 2019. Sudan is split, with the army controlling the north, east and centre, having recently retaken the capital Khartoum, while the RSF holds most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan.
General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan has pledged to continue fighting until the army regains control of all territory.
The RSF and allied rebel groups claim the move is a step towards forming a “New Sudan” and challenging the army’s legitimacy.
The Mashad Organisation for Human Rights and Humanitarian Development, a Sudanese NGO, warned that the RSF’s announcement could deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis.
“This represents a grave violation of international law and an affront to the will of the Sudanese people,” the organisation’s head, Ahmed Abdullah, told The National last week.
“Any effort to impose realities by force will only lead to more violence and division,” he said.
Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, more than tens of thousands have been killed, and more than 20 million displaced, according to the UN. Sudan’s war has also pushed millions into hunger, with the UN warning that the RSF’s move could further fragment the country and complicate already fragile peace efforts.
