Sudan: RSF paramilitaries and allies declare parallel government

In Sudan, the Tasis alliance announced on Tuesday, July 1, the creation of a governance council.

This coalition of armed groups, political parties, and civil society organizations, allied with the Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries, was launched in February in Nairobi, Kenya.

Its aim is to establish a parallel government to that of Port Sudan, where the regular army has been stationed since the onset of the war two years ago.

With this alliance, General Hemedti's paramilitaries are attempting to gain political ground against his rival, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

The announcement was made with great fanfare in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state.

The governance council of the Tasis alliance consists of 31 members.

Unsurprisingly, General Mohamed Hamdam Daglo, known as Hemedti, has been appointed president.

His vice president is Abdel Aziz Adam al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), an armed group from the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

For a long time, the SPLM-N fought against the Khartoum government and its Janjaweed militias, from which the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) originated.

Bringing the SPLM-N on board "is a major achievement," Hasbelnabi Mahmoud, president of the Sudan Liberation Movement and a member of the Tasis leadership, told RFI.

General Hemedti has made clear statements about the need to establish a secular and democratic state for all Sudanese, without discrimination based on color.

After adopting a charter in February, it took more than four months for Tasis to finally announce its governance council, due to "internal divisions," according to a source close to the alliance.

The next step is to determine what the capital of the government Tasis wishes to form will be.