Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have announced the formation of a rival government in territories under their control – a move timed to mark the second anniversary of a war the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
“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,” RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, said in a statement posted on Telegram.
Dagalo said the RSF and allied political groups had signed a transitional constitution, describing it as a “roadmap for a new Sudan”.
The document proposes a 15-member presidential council “representing all regions, symbolising our voluntary unity”.
Partition warnings
The RSF first outlined plans for an alternative administration in February, when it signed a political charter with civilian allies in Kenya.
The move directly challenges the army-led government of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The two men, once allies, have been fighting since war broke out on 15 April 2023.
Sudan experts have warned that the country – Africa’s third largest by area – could be heading towards a permanent split.
“The territorial division that’s occurring could mean a de facto separation,” Sharath Srinivasan, a Sudan researcher at the University of Cambridge, told the French news agency AFP.
Both the RSF and the army have been accused of serious abuses during the conflict, including looting, sexual violence and attacks on civilians.
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Darfur escalation
While the RSF announced its new government, fighting intensified in North Darfur. The paramilitaries are trying to take El-Fasher, the last major city in the region still held by the army.
The United Nations said more than 400 people have been killed in recent days. On Sunday, the RSF claimed to have taken control of the nearby Zamzam displacement camp.
The International Organisation for Migration said around 400,000 people fled the camp, which had been housing close to one million people.
On Tuesday, the army said it had launched airstrikes on RSF positions northeast of El-Fasher.
The United States condemned the RSF’s actions.
“We are deeply alarmed by reports the RSF has deliberately targeted civilians and humanitarian actors in Zamzam and Abu Shouk,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
Civilians return to ruins
Some civilians have begun returning to areas recaptured by the army, only to find their homes looted or destroyed.
Zainab Abdel Rahim, 38, returned this month to Khartoum North with her six children.
“We're trying to pull together the essentials, but there's no water, no electricity, no medicine,” she told AFP.
Abdel Rafi Hussein, 52, stayed in the capital under RSF control until the army retook part of it last month.
“I've lost half my bodyweight. We're safe now, but still, we suffer from a lack of water and electricity and most hospitals aren't working,” he said.
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Donors call for peace
An international conference in London on Tuesday brought together ministers and officials to discuss ways to end the war.
Delegates pledged more than €800 million in new humanitarian aid.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “We cannot resign ourselves to inevitable conflict. We cannot be back here, one year from now, having the same discussion.”
Neither the RSF nor the army were invited to the meeting, but participants – including the African Union – called for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire” and stressed the importance of preventing any partition of Sudan.
Separately, G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada echoed the call for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” and urged both sides to engage in “serious, constructive negotiations”.
Displacement and famine
The war has displaced nearly 13 million people, including more than 3.5 million who have crossed into neighbouring countries. The UN has called it the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Precise death tolls remain unclear, but some estimates have put the number of dead at up to 150,000.
“In these two years, the lives of millions have been shattered. Families have been torn apart. Livelihoods have been lost. And for many, the future remains uncertain,” said Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Sudan.
Zamzam camp in Darfur was the first site in Sudan where famine was declared. Other camps in the area have since followed, and experts expect famine to reach El-Fasher by next month.
On Monday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an end to “the external support and flow of weapons” fuelling the war, without naming specific countries.
The army-backed government has accused the United Arab Emirates of supplying arms to the RSF through Chad – a claim both the RSF and the UAE deny.
(with newswires)
