Fears of partition in Sudan following militia announcement

Fighters from the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia have said they will work with a planed new government to oversee the territories they are in control of.

The news, reported by Reuters on December 20th, marks the biggest move towards partition the country has seen since the civil war began last April.

The RSF now controls large parts of central and western Sudan including most of the capital Khartoum and its traditional base of Darfur. Any new government there would have to challenge the recognised army-led government, which operates on the Red Sea coast in Port Sudan after it was forced out of Khartoum in 2023.

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A group of civilian politicians and leaders of armed group say they will set up a “peace government”, members told Reuters this week, adding that it would be civilian-led, independent of the RSF and set up to replace the army-led government who they say prolonged the war.

Reuters was told this week by three senior Sudanese political sources that the RSF had worked with the politicians to form the government, and the RSF said it had no links to the government and would work with but not run the planned administration.

“We in the RSF will only carry out the military and security role, but governing will be undertaken by civilian forces independently,” it added in its statement to Reuters.

There were no details on when the administration might begin and how it would choose representatives, govern or raise money, although members of the group said it would be based in capital Khartoum.

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The army, who controls the north and east of the country and is regaining ground in the centre, and the government it leads, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Both have previously said they are the sole national power and have accused the RSF and its backers of seeking to destroy Sudan.

Reuters