Latest news with #Dagalo
Egypt Independent
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Sudan rebels declare rival government on anniversary of brutal 2-year war with army
CNN — Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it has formed its own government as it marks two years of a vicious power struggle with the Sudanese army that has left tens of thousands killed and millions homeless. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in a statement Tuesday that his militia and its civilian allies 'have chosen a different path' and have declared 'the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,' describing it as 'a broad civilian coalition.' 'We are building the only realistic future for Sudan,' added Dagalo whose militia has been accused of genocide. The RSF began the audacious move to create a rival government in the areas under its control in February, and around that time, signed a charter with political and smaller armed groups allied to it. Swaths of Sudan are controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) but almost all of Darfur, a region roughly the size of France, is held by the RSF. The group also retains footholds in the neighboring states of West Kordofan and North Kordofan, a map released last month by the SAF shows. Since April 2023, Dagalo and former ally Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who heads the SAF have shunned global efforts to end their feud and have bitterly competed for control of the country. Both men, who are two of Sudan's most powerful generals, jointly deposed the country's long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and subsequently played a role in a military coup two years later. Disagreements between them on how to restore civilian rule after al-Bashir's ouster have fueled the current war which the United Nations said was the world's 'most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis.' The RSF's declaration of a parallel government, which coincided with a high-level conference co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the African Union, and the European Union to find solutions to ending the conflict, complicates the peace efforts. A SAF spokesperson did not respond to CNN's inquiry on the implications of the RSF's declaration. For several weeks, fighting has intensified between the army and the RSF as government troops push to reclaim territories occupied by the militia. Last month, the army wrested control of the capital Khartoum from the RSF, forcing it to retreat from the city, in one of its major losses since the start of the war. Fighting has since shifted to other parts of the country, including Darfur, where the RSF is entrenched. On Sunday, the RSF claimed control of the Zamzam camp for displaced people in North Darfur, saying it had dislodged SAF's troops who controlled the area. More than 300 people were killed in days of clashes between the rival factions, the UN said. At least 400,000 others were displaced from the camp, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration. The RSF said the camp, located around 15 kilometers south of North Darfur's capital El Fasher, had been used as a military base by the SAF. El Fasher is the last major town in Darfur yet to be under RSF control. Its leader Dagalo believes that the group's quest for autonomy is the only solution as war with the SAF rages with no end in sight. 'Three years into this war, Sudan stands at a crossroads. Either we allow the past to drag us backward, or we forge a new way forward,' he said.
The Independent
16-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Sudanese paramilitary group says its forming a rival government
A notorious paramilitary group fighting against the Sudanese military said it's forming a rival government that will rule parts of the country controlled by the group, including the western Darfur region where the United Nations says recent attacks by the group have killed over 400 people. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces, announced the move in a speech on Tuesday as the northeastern African nation marked two years of civil war. 'On this anniversary, we proudly declare the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,' Dagalo said in a recorded speech, adding that other groups have joined the RSF-led administration, including a faction of the Sudan's Liberation Movement, which controls parts of Kordofan region. Dagalo, who is sanctioned by the United States over accusations that his forces committed genocide in Darfur, said that he and his allies were also establishing 'a 15-member Presidential Council' representing all of Sudan's regions. The RSF has suffered multiple battlefield setbacks, losing the capital of Khartoum and other cities in recent months but has since regrouped in its stronghold in Darfur. That raises concerns that Sudan is heading towards partition — or a prolonged conflict like in neighboring Libya, where two rival administrations have been fighting for power for over a decade. The U.N. said Wednesday it was extremely concerned over the RSF's move and that 'preserving Sudan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity is a fundamental principle for a sustainable resolution of the conflict and the long-term stability of the country.' 'The formation of a parallel government would not bring Sudan any closer to a resolution of the conflict,' U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, calling on the international community to find ways to help the Sudanese people end the war. Many countries, including the U.S., have rejected the RSF efforts to establish an administration in areas they control and condemned the signing by the paramilitary group and its allies what they called 'transitional constitution' in a Kenya-hosted conference in February. Sudan was plunged into chaos on April 15, 2023 when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country. Since then, at least 24,000 people have been killed, though the number is likely far higher, and about 13 million have been driven from their homes, including 4 million who have crossed into neighboring countries. The fighting has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, especially in Darfur, according to the U.N. and international rights groups. Dagalo's announcement came days after his forces and allied militias rampaged through two famine-hit camps, which shelter some 700,000 Sudanese who fled their homes, in North Darfur province. The multi-day attack on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps killed more than 400 people, including 12 aid workers and dozens of children, the U.N. humanitarian office said, citing local sources. Dujarric said Tuesday the attack forced up to 400,000 people to flee the Zamzam camp, which has become inaccessible to aid workers after the RSF and allied militias took control of it. ___ Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sudan rebels declare rival government on anniversary of brutal 2-year war with army
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it has formed its own government as it marks two years of a vicious power struggle with the Sudanese army that has left tens of thousands killed and millions homeless. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in a statement Tuesday that his militia and its civilian allies 'have chosen a different path' and have declared 'the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,' describing it as 'a broad civilian coalition.' 'We are building the only realistic future for Sudan,' added Dagalo whose militia has been accused of genocide. The RSF began the audacious move to create a rival government in the areas under its control in February, and around that time, signed a charter with political and smaller armed groups allied to it. Swaths of Sudan are controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) but almost all of Darfur, a region roughly the size of France, is held by the RSF. The group also retains footholds in the neighboring states of West Kordofan and North Kordofan, a map released last month by the SAF shows. Since April 2023, Dagalo and former ally Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who heads the SAF have shunned global efforts to end their feud and have bitterly competed for control of the country. Both men, who are two of Sudan's most powerful generals, jointly deposed the country's long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and subsequently played a role in a military coup two years later. Disagreements between them on how to restore civilian rule after al-Bashir's ouster have fueled the current war which the United Nations said was the world's 'most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis.' The RSF's declaration of a parallel government, which coincided with a high-level conference co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the African Union, and the European Union to find solutions to ending the conflict, complicates the peace efforts. A SAF spokesperson did not respond to CNN's inquiry on the implications of the RSF's declaration. For several weeks, fighting has intensified between the army and the RSF as government troops push to reclaim territories occupied by the militia. Last month, the army wrested control of the capital Khartoum from the RSF, forcing it to retreat from the city, in one of its major losses since the start of the war. Fighting has since shifted to other parts of the country, including Darfur, where the RSF is entrenched. On Sunday, the RSF claimed control of the Zamzam camp for displaced people in North Darfur, saying it had dislodged SAF's troops who controlled the area. More than 300 people were killed in days of clashes between the rival factions, the UN said. At least 400,000 others were displaced from the camp, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration. The RSF said the camp, located around 15 kilometers south of North Darfur's capital El Fasher, had been used as a military base by the SAF. El Fasher is the last major town in Darfur yet to be under RSF control. Its leader Dagalo believes that the group's quest for autonomy is the only solution as war with the SAF rages with no end in sight. 'Three years into this war, Sudan stands at a crossroads. Either we allow the past to drag us backward, or we forge a new way forward,' he said.
CNN
16-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Sudan rebels declare rival government on anniversary of brutal 2-year war with army
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it has formed its own government as it marks two years of a vicious power struggle with the Sudanese army that has left tens of thousands killed and millions homeless. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in a statement Tuesday that his militia and its civilian allies 'have chosen a different path' and have declared 'the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,' describing it as 'a broad civilian coalition.' 'We are building the only realistic future for Sudan,' added Dagalo whose militia has been accused of genocide. The RSF began the audacious move to create a rival government in the areas under its control in February, and around that time, signed a charter with political and smaller armed groups allied to it. Swaths of Sudan are controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) but almost all of Darfur, a region roughly the size of France, is held by the RSF. The group also retains footholds in the neighboring states of West Kordofan and North Kordofan, a map released last month by the SAF shows. Since April 2023, Dagalo and former ally Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who heads the SAF have shunned global efforts to end their feud and have bitterly competed for control of the country. Both men, who are two of Sudan's most powerful generals, jointly deposed the country's long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and subsequently played a role in a military coup two years later. Disagreements between them on how to restore civilian rule after al-Bashir's ouster have fueled the current war which the United Nations said was the world's 'most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis.' The RSF's declaration of a parallel government, which coincided with a high-level conference co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the African Union, and the European Union to find solutions to ending the conflict, complicates the peace efforts. A SAF spokesperson did not respond to CNN's inquiry on the implications of the RSF's declaration. For several weeks, fighting has intensified between the army and the RSF as government troops push to reclaim territories occupied by the militia. Last month, the army wrested control of the capital Khartoum from the RSF, forcing it to retreat from the city, in one of its major losses since the start of the war. Fighting has since shifted to other parts of the country, including Darfur, where the RSF is entrenched. On Sunday, the RSF claimed control of the Zamzam camp for displaced people in North Darfur, saying it had dislodged SAF's troops who controlled the area. More than 300 people were killed in days of clashes between the rival factions, the UN said. At least 400,000 others were displaced from the camp, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration. The RSF said the camp, located around 15 kilometers south of North Darfur's capital El Fasher, had been used as a military base by the SAF. El Fasher is the last major town in Darfur yet to be under RSF control. Its leader Dagalo believes that the group's quest for autonomy is the only solution as war with the SAF rages with no end in sight. 'Three years into this war, Sudan stands at a crossroads. Either we allow the past to drag us backward, or we forge a new way forward,' he said.
CNN
16-04-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Sudan rebels declare rival government on anniversary of brutal 2-year war with army
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) says it has formed its own government as it marks two years of a vicious power struggle with the Sudanese army that has left tens of thousands killed and millions homeless. RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo said in a statement Tuesday that his militia and its civilian allies 'have chosen a different path' and have declared 'the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,' describing it as 'a broad civilian coalition.' 'We are building the only realistic future for Sudan,' added Dagalo whose militia has been accused of genocide. The RSF began the audacious move to create a rival government in the areas under its control in February, and around that time, signed a charter with political and smaller armed groups allied to it. Swaths of Sudan are controlled by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) but almost all of Darfur, a region roughly the size of France, is held by the RSF. The group also retains footholds in the neighboring states of West Kordofan and North Kordofan, a map released last month by the SAF shows. Since April 2023, Dagalo and former ally Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who heads the SAF have shunned global efforts to end their feud and have bitterly competed for control of the country. Both men, who are two of Sudan's most powerful generals, jointly deposed the country's long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and subsequently played a role in a military coup two years later. Disagreements between them on how to restore civilian rule after al-Bashir's ouster have fueled the current war which the United Nations said was the world's 'most devastating humanitarian and displacement crisis.' The RSF's declaration of a parallel government, which coincided with a high-level conference co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the African Union, and the European Union to find solutions to ending the conflict, complicates the peace efforts. A SAF spokesperson did not respond to CNN's inquiry on the implications of the RSF's declaration. For several weeks, fighting has intensified between the army and the RSF as government troops push to reclaim territories occupied by the militia. Last month, the army wrested control of the capital Khartoum from the RSF, forcing it to retreat from the city, in one of its major losses since the start of the war. Fighting has since shifted to other parts of the country, including Darfur, where the RSF is entrenched. On Sunday, the RSF claimed control of the Zamzam camp for displaced people in North Darfur, saying it had dislodged SAF's troops who controlled the area. More than 300 people were killed in days of clashes between the rival factions, the UN said. At least 400,000 others were displaced from the camp, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration. The RSF said the camp, located around 15 kilometers south of North Darfur's capital El Fasher, had been used as a military base by the SAF. El Fasher is the last major town in Darfur yet to be under RSF control. Its leader Dagalo believes that the group's quest for autonomy is the only solution as war with the SAF rages with no end in sight. 'Three years into this war, Sudan stands at a crossroads. Either we allow the past to drag us backward, or we forge a new way forward,' he said.
