RSF appoints head of parallel government

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has been sworn in as the head of a parallel government in Sudan, reports TRT Afrika. In a statement on Sunday, the Sudanese Founding Alliance, a coalition led by the RSF, said Dagalo took the oath of office in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur State in western Sudan. It said Abdelaziz Adam al-Hilu was sworn in as Dagalo’s deputy, along with members of a 13-seat Presidential council. On 26 July, the coalition announced the formation of a parallel government, led by Dagalo. In February, the RSF and several allied groups signed a political charter in Kenya to establish a parallel government in Sudan, a move denounced by Khartoum. On 14 August, the UN Security Council rejected the formation of a parallel governing authority in RSF-held areas as a violation of Sudan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. The Sudanese army and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20 000 victims and displaced 14m others, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130 000.