Sudan’s RSF Leader Becomes Head of Rival Government

(MENAFN) Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was officially inaugurated on Sunday as the leader of a competing administration in Sudan.

According to a statement from the Sudanese Founding Alliance, a coalition dominated by the RSF, Dagalo took the oath of office in Nyala, the capital city of South Darfur State located in western Sudan.

The announcement also confirmed that Abdelaziz Adam al-Hilu was sworn in as Dagalo’s deputy, alongside members of a 13-member presidential council.

On July 26, this coalition declared the establishment of a parallel government headed by Dagalo.

Earlier, in February, the RSF and allied factions signed a political agreement in Kenya aimed at creating a rival government within Sudan, a move strongly condemned by the official administration in Khartoum.

The United Nations Security Council formally rejected the establishment of this competing governing body in RSF-controlled areas on August 14, deeming it a breach of Sudan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial unity.

Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and RSF have been engaged in a conflict that has resulted in over 20,000 deaths and displaced approximately 14 million people, according to UN reports and local officials.

However, studies from several American universities estimate the casualty figures to be closer to 130,000.

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