The African Union (AU) has condemned the announcement by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its affiliated political and social forces of the establishment of a parallel government in the Republic of Sudan.
RSF and allied groups on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, signed a transitional constitution for Sudan, taking them a step closer to setting up a parallel government, weeks after they signed a charter in Nairobi, sparking a diplomatic row between Kenya and Sudan.
The constitution is designed to replace a constitution signed after the army and RSF ousted long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir during an uprising in 2019.
In a communique issued on Wednesday, March 12, the AU, through its Peace and Security Council (PSC), warned that such action carries a huge risk of partitioning the country.
AU warns member states against recognizing RSF’s parallel govt
PSC called on all AU member states and the international community not to recognize any parallel government seeking to partition and govern any part of the territory of Sudan or its institutions a day after the council held a meeting on the situation in the country.
“Council called on all AU Member States and the international community not to recognize any parallel government or entity seeking to partition and govern any part of the territory of the Republic of Sudan or its institutions,” read part of the communique.
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The council further called on all member states and the international community to refrain from recognizing or providing support or assistance to any armed or political group toward the establishment of a parallel government or state entity in Sudan.
Also, the AU council reaffirmed its commitment to the preservation of Sudan’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and the peaceful resolution of the current devastating conflict, which has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, causing the displacement of over 12 million Sudanese civilians.
The new constitution formally establishes a government and maps out what it describes as a federal, secular state, split into eight regions.
It further provides for a bill of basic rights, giving regions the right to self-determination should certain conditions not be met, and calls for a single national army, with the signatories as the “nucleus”.
Elections are mentioned as an outcome of the transitional period, without any fixed timetable.
Diplomatic spat
Kenya has been on the receiving end after allowing the RSF to host meetings in Nairobi before going ahead to sign a “political agreement” charter with its affiliates to establish a “governmental authority” in the areas controlled by the para-military group.
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On Tuesday, February 26, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed a statement by the spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the United Nations stating that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep concern over the signing of the charter.
The Sudanese government maintained that there is no justification for Kenya’s actions to host the RSF group.
In the statement, Sudan’s MFA condemned President William Ruto’s embracing of the RSF and called on the international and regional community to reject the “dangerous behaviour of the Kenyan leadership”.
UN speaks on Sudan crisis
The Ministry issued the call after the UN Secretary General warned that this escalation threatens to deepen the crisis and threatens to divide the country.
Secretary Guterres stressed that preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan remains the key to a permanent solution to the crisis and achieving long-term stability in the country and the region.
He further condemned ongoing violence against civilians by both warring sides, including ethnically motivated attacks.
“The Secretary-General is deeply concerned at the announcement by the Rapid Support Forces and affiliated civilian actors and armed groups of a political charter that expresses an intention to establish a governing authority in Rapid Support Forces areas of control,” read a statement by spokesperson’s office.
“Sudanese women, children and men are paying the heaviest price for the continued military offensives by the belligerents.”
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