Sudan's RSF names president, PM as it forms rival govt to military-backed regime

A coalition led by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Saturday named a civilian prime minister and unveiled a presidential council to lead a rival government, challenging the military-backed administration and risking a further push toward the war-torn country’s division.

The announcement, made during a press conference broadcast from the RSF-controlled city of Nyala in South Darfur, comes more than two years into the war between the RSF and the army.

The RSF appointed Mohamed Hassan al-Ta’ayshi – a former member of Sudan’s transitional sovereign council from 2019 until the 2021 military coup – as prime minister of what it calls the “government of peace and unity”.

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, where recent attacks have killed hundreds, according to local rights groups.

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The internationally-recognised army-aligned government, formed in May and headed by former UN official Kamil Idris, remains incomplete, with three cabinet positions still unfilled.

United Nations officials have warned the RSF’s formation of a parallel government – now with both a prime minister and a presidential council – could deepen Sudan’s fragmentation and complicate diplomatic efforts to end the conflict that began in April 2023.

An RSF member told AFP on condition of anonymity that al-Ta’ayshi will now begin forming a cabinet.

On Saturday, the RSF-led coalition also unveiled a 15-member presidential council, with RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo as president and rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu – who controls parts of southern Sudan – as vice president.

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The council also includes political figures, ex-officials and newly appointed regional governors.

Among the appointees is El-Hadi Idris, named governor of Darfur – a region that now has two rival governors, one appointed by the RSF and the other, Minni Arko Minawi, aligned with the army.

Minawi dismissed the RSF’s move, saying it “appears to be sharing responsibility for the crimes and violations they committed equally with their allies.”

Saturday’s appointments follow a political charter signed in February between the RSF and its allied armed and civilian groups during talks in Nairobi.

There was no immediate response from the army on the RSF’s announcement.

The war began after a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Dagalo – once allies who ousted Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

Two years later, the pair led a coup that derailed Sudan’s transition to civilian rule.

The United Nations repeatedly said that Sudan now faces one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

In addition to the tens of thousands killed, millions have fled their homes and basic services – from healthcare to water – have collapsed across much of the country.