Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of Sudan signed a charter with allied political and armed groups on the evening of Saturday, February 22, 2025.
The charter which establishes a government of peace and unity was signed in Nairobi, Kenya.
Among the signatories to the charter is Abdelaziz al-Hilu, a prominent Sudanese rebel leader and the head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), one of the largest armed opposition groups in Sudan.
He holds extensive territory and leads forces in South Kordofan state.
Al-Hilu advocates for a secular state in Sudan, opposing the imposition of Islamic law (Sharia).
Other Sudan Leaders Party to the Charter
Another signatory is Al-Hadi Idris, the leader of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an alliance of rebel groups that signed the Juba Peace Agreement in 2020.
He has played a significant role in Sudan’s peace process, representing armed groups from Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
Idris was appointed as a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, the transitional ruling body after the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
He was, however, dismissed from the Council in November 2023.
Idris said the government’s formation will be announced from inside the country in the coming days.
Ibrahim al-Mirghani who is associated with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), is among the leaders who signed the charter.
This comes even after the General Supervisor of the Democratic Unionist Party (Original), Hisham Zain Al-Abidin warned media channels from referring to him as a leader within the party.
Hisham clarified that Ibrahim was removed from his position as Political Secretary on November 10, 2022, and was referred for investigation.
“Due to his failure to appear before the committee, a decision was issued to expel him from the party on December 4, 2022,” reads a letter by Hisham.
Also Read: Mudavadi, Murkomen and Kanja Sued as Tiff with Sudan Escalates
U.S Bans RSF Leader
The U.S. imposed sanctions on General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary RSF, earlier this year.
The RSF has faced accusations of widespread abuses, including genocide.
Previously, Dagalo shared power with the army and civilian politicians under an agreement reached after Omar al-Bashir’s ouster in 2019.
In 2021, the RSF and the army overthrew the civilian politicians in a coup. War later erupted between them over the integration of their troops during the transition to democracy.
The Charter
Such a government, which has already drawn concern from the United Nations, is not expected to receive widespread recognition but is a further sign of the splintering of the country during a civil war that has lasted almost two years.
According to the charter, the signatories declared that Sudan should be a “secular, democratic, and non-centralized state” with a single national army, while still allowing armed groups to continue operating.
The charter emphasized that the government did not aim to divide the country but rather to unify it and end the war.
According to the document, the army-aligned government in Port Sudan had failed to achieve this objective.
Also Read: Sudan Recalls Ambassador to Kenya With Immediate Effect
Sudan War
The Sudanese army has condemned the formation of a parallel government and is RSF from central Sudan.
RSF seized most of the western Darfur region and parts of the Kordofan region in the war.
The conflict has devastated Sudan, triggering an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and pushing half the population into hunger, with famine affecting multiple areas.
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