Controversy erupts over RSF-backed government in South Darfur

The Sudan Founding Alliance (Tasees) has announced a new founding government in South Darfur’s capital of Nyala yesterday, triggering fierce and polarised reactions across the country.

Tasees, which includes the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) led by Abdelaziz El Hilu, named RSF Commander Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo as president of the 15-member Presidential Council. El Hilu was appointed vice president, and former Sovereign Council member Mohamed Hassan El Tayshi was named Prime Minister.

Eight governors were also appointed across Sudan’s regions.

Supporters hailed the move as a historic break from Sudan’s old guard. Former Justice Minister Nasr El Din Abdelbari called it “the most important event” since the SPLM’s founding in 1983, saying it returns sovereignty to “the great Blackness of the Sudanese people.”

Suleiman Sandal, formerly of the Justice and Equality Movement and now a leader within Tasees, described the formation as a product of Sudan’s revolutionary struggles, aimed at ending the war and establishing equal citizenship.

The Sudanese Armed Forces condemned the initiative as a “racist project” and a “desperate attempt” to legitimise foreign-backed ambitions. Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minawi and others accused the RSF of whitewashing war crimes through its allies.

The leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Revolutionary Democratic Current (SPLM-RDC), Yasir Arman, warned Sudan now faces “two competing governments,” drawing comparisons to Libya’s collapse.

He urged all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire and work toward a democratic state based on equal rights and professional armed forces.

Tasees was formed in following the controversial Nairobi Conference in February and includes the RSF, SPLM-N, the Sudan Revolutionary Front, and the National Umma Party.