RSF, allies, formalize vision for a parallel government: Report

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Mar 2025 23:41
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The constitution formalizes a government for a "New Sudan" as they attempt to pull the legitimacy of the existing army-led government.

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Rapid Support Forces (RSF) deputy commander Abdul Rahim Dagalo, center, gestures during a planned signing ceremony of the Sudan Founding Charter. (AP)

The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and allied groups have signed a transitional constitution on Tuesday that paves the way toward a parallel government.

The new constitution, led by the RSF, establishes a new government and draws the map for a federal, secular state that is split into eight regions and provides a bill of basic rights and the right to self-determination for some regions should they meet certain conditions, including not separating religion and state.

The constitution signed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the so-called Sudan People's Liberation Movement, among other signatories, outlines plans for a unified national army and elections during the transitional period, though it does not specify a timeline, while the RSF states that a new parallel government will be established in the coming weeks.

RSF, allies, sign charter for parallel government

The Rapid Support Forces and its allies signed a charter on February 23 in Nairobi, Kenya, which was said to form a parallel "government of peace and unity", dismissing warnings that such a decision would solidify the division in war-torn Sudan.

The charter called for "a secular, democratic, decentralized state based on freedom, equality, and justice, without bias toward any cultural, ethnic, religious, or regional identity" while outlining "new, unified, professional, national army" with a new military doctrine that "reflects the diversity and plurality characterizing the Sudanese state."

The parallel government allegedly aims to address service gaps in areas controlled by the RSF and its allies: "Citizens in these regions have been cut off from essential services like the new banknotes issued by the army, passport processing, and document renewals," according to signatory Alaa El-Din Nuqd.

Before this signing, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced plans to form a technocratic wartime government on February 9, while military sources told Reuters that the new government is set to be established once the army takes control over Khartoum.

Egypt asserted that it strongly opposes any actions that endanger the unity of Sudan, particularly attempts to create a parallel government, as such moves complicate the political landscape and obstruct efforts to unify Sudanese forces.