NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 18 – Sudan’s paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, is set to announce the establishment of a parallel government in Nairobi.
The preparatory committee claimed that the signing ceremony of what it describes as the “Sudan Founding Charter for establishing a peace and unity government” is also backed by the political, civil, and social forces.
“This charter aims to restore the legitimate government that was overthrown by remnants and militias of the Islamic movement,” the committee said.
It also seeks to “reinstate the democratic path through a national consensus that includes all political, civil, and social forces, laying the foundation for a new phase of stability and sustainable peace.”
The committee claimed that the charter has been prepared with the “agreement of various active parties, reaffirming a collective commitment to joint action for a more prosperous and just future.”
The move is likely to anger the Junta in Port Sudan led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and anger Washington which has put sanctions on the ex-Janjaweed leader.
On January 8, The United States imposed sanctions on the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for his role on an unfolding genocide against non-Arabs.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) accused General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who deputized Sudan’s interim leader under the Transitional Sovereign Council before a fallout in April 2023, killing tens of thousands in a conflict that has seen 12 million Sudanese displaced.
OFAC further sanctioned seven companies and an individual it said has facilitated RSF’s ability to acquire military equipment and finances.
It singled out Capital Tap Holding L.L.C. (Capital Tap Holding), based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Commenting on the sanctions, former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Hemetti’s forces of targeting men, boys and infants.
The sanctions come barely two months after the US led a Troika in denouncing rights violations in Sudan amid a regional effort led by Nairobi to resolve the country’s leadership crisis.
The United States, United Kingdom and Norway, in a joint statement issued on November 15, singled out attacks by the RSF in West, Central and South Darfur.
“These [attacks] have included – according to credible reports – mass killings including ethnic targeting of non-Arab and other communities, killings of traditional leaders, unjust detentions, and obstruction of humanitarian aid,” the Troika stated.
The Troika renewed calls for concerted efforts to return the country to a civilian rule saying a military solution was not an option.
“We reiterate that there is no acceptable military solution to the conflict, and call for an end to the fighting,” it said.
“We urge the RSF and SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) to refrain from actions that would further divide Sudan along ethnic lines or draw other forces into their conflict,” the triad appealed.
The Troika called for a de-escalation and ceasefire to allow unhindered humanitarian access, while lauding the resumption of the Jeddah Process facilitated jointly by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which Kenya is part of.
The Troika called for a de-escalation and ceasefire to allow unhindered humanitarian access, while lauding the resumption of the Jeddah Process facilitated jointly by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which Kenya is part of.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan, had stonewalled a Nairobi-led initiative under an IGAD quartet comprising Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan over alleged bias.
General al-Burhan reportedly took offense with President William Ruto’s characterization of the conflict as “fighting between two generals”.
“Sudan is not concerned with the outcome of the meeting, because it is still waiting for a response from the IGAD regarding Sudan’s objection to Kenya’s chairmanship of the quartet committee,” Sudan’s MFA said in June 2024.
Ruto subsequently met General al-Burhan in Nairobi on November 11, 2024, before meeting Abdalla Hamdok, Prime Minister of a civilian authority replaced by General al-Burhan, on November 14.
Ruto would later host Sudan Liberation Movement Abdulwahid Al- Nur in Nairobi on January 23.
The head of state also met Hemetti on November 24 when he reportedly secured RSF’s commitment to IGAD-supported Jeddah peace talks.
