RSF's Hemedti sworn in to head parallel Sudanese government
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Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, was sworn in to lead a parallel government amid Sudan’s ongoing civil war, deepening fears of a de facto partition.
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RSF leader General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, listens to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting in Khartoum, Sudan, on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 (AP)
Sudan moved a step closer to de facto partition as paramilitary Rapid Support Forces head Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo was sworn in to lead a parallel government.
The statement reported that Dagalo, who is widely known as Hemedti and has rarely been seen in Sudan since the start of a 28-month conflict with the national army, was sworn in during a ceremony in the Sudanese city of Nyala, though Reuters could not independently confirm his location.
Nyala, one of Sudan's largest cities situated in the Darfur region, has served as the de facto capital for the RSF, a group that has appointed its own prime minister and a presidential council led by Dagalo.
RSF government, constitution
On April 16, Dagalo, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, proclaimed the formation of a "Government of Peace and Unity," which he referred to as "the true face of Sudan."
On March 26, the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia and allied groups signed a transitional constitution that paves the way toward establishing a parallel government.
Led by the RSF, the new constitution establishes a framework for a parallel government and outlines a federal, secular state divided into eight regions, while also providing a bill of basic rights and granting certain regions the right to self-determination should they meet specific conditions, which include not separating religion and state.
Signed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the so-called Sudan People's Liberation Movement, and other allied groups, the new constitution outlines plans for a unified national army and elections to be held during a transitional period, though it provides no specific timeline for these events, while the RSF has simultaneously stated that a new parallel government will be established in the coming weeks.
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.
