A declaration of a parallel Administration in Sudan has been made on April 16 by the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, marking a further escalation in the nation’s two-year civil war.
The announcement, delivered in a pre-recorded speech, was issued on the second anniversary of the conflict’s outbreak and introduced the “Government of Peace and Unity.” This RSF-led government is claimed to have been joined by other armed factions, including a breakaway group from the Sudan Liberation Movement with territorial control in the Kordofan region.
Control over parts of Sudan — particularly in western Darfur — has been asserted by the RSF’s newly declared authority, even as the region continues to witness mass violence. The United Nations has reported that more than 400 individuals have been killed in recent attacks by RSF forces. The wider war, which began in April 2023 following clashes between the RSF and Sudanese military, has resulted in at least 24,000 deaths and the displacement of approximately 13 million people, with 4 million having fled to neighbouring states. War crimes, including ethnically targeted killings and widespread sexual violence, have been documented by international observers.
The declaration of the rival government was made shortly after RSF-led forces and militias conducted violent raids on famine-stricken displacement camps in North Darfur. According to the U.N., the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps — which hosted around 700,000 internally displaced people — were attacked over several days, resulting in the deaths of more than 400 people, including 12 humanitarian workers and numerous children. Following the assault, the Zamzam camp was seized, with access now blocked and the movement of remaining residents, particularly youth, being severely restricted.