Rebels Declare Rival Government in Sudan After 2 Years of Civil War

A paramilitary leader said they were ‘building the only realistic future for Sudan.’

Sudanese line up to collect a charity "Iftar" fast breaking meal in Omdurman, on Mar. 19, 2025, during Ramadan. Ebrahim Hamid/AFP via Getty Images

Rebel Sudanese paramilitaries have declared a rival government to the armed forces, two years into a war civil war that has ripped the African nation apart.

Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo said the group was constructing a “state of law” and not a state ruled by individuals.

Hemedti said it was “the only realistic future for Sudan.”

“We do not seek domination, but unity. We believe that no tribe, region, or religion holds a monopoly over Sudanese identity,” he said in a statement on the messaging app Telegram.

He added that the RSF and allied groups had signed a transitional constitution, describing it as a “roadmap for a new Sudan.”

It proposes a 15-member presidential council representing all regions, symbolizing their “voluntary unity.”

Hemedti’s statement comes a day after G7 foreign ministers on April 15 issued a call for an immediate and unconditional cease-fire in the country, condemning attacks by the RSF.

The ministers said they “unequivocally denounce the ongoing conflict, atrocities, and grave human rights violations and abuses in Sudan, as the world marks two years since the beginning of the devastating war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).”

Also on April 15, the U.S. government condemned attacks by the RSF on civilians in North Darfur and called for parties involved in the civil war to be held accountable for breaches of international law.

“We are deeply alarmed by reports the RSF has deliberately targeted civilians and humanitarian actors in Zamzam and Abu Shouk,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters, referring to two camps of displaced people in the region that are homes to hundreds of thousands of people, according to the United Nations.

“The belligerents must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and must be held accountable.”

An estimated 400,000 people have fled the Zamzam camp in recent days, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on April 15.

“Local sources are telling us that armed groups have taken control of the camp and are restricting the movement of those remaining, especially young people,” he said.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the army and the RSF, shattering hopes for a peaceful transition to civilian rule.

Tens of thousands have been killed, millions displaced, and entire regions, such as Darfur, devastated.

As the conflict enters its third year, half the population of 50 million people faces hunger, and the World Food Program has confirmed famine in 10 locations, adding that it could spread, putting millions in danger of starvation.

“This abominable conflict has continued for two years too long,” said Kashif Shafique, country director for Relief International Sudan, the last aid group still working in the Zamzam camp. Nine of its workers were killed in the RSF attack.

He said the world needs to press for a cease-fire.

“Every moment we wait, more lives hang in the balance,” he said. “Humanity must prevail.”

A U.N. agency on April 15 also warned that rape is now being systematically used as a weapon in the country.

“We have seen a 288 percent increase in demand for life-saving support for rape and sexual violence survivors,” Anna Mutavati, the regional director of U.N. Women, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Port Sudan.

“We are beginning to see the systematic use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war.”

The war has even drawn in external powers, with the Sudanese government accusing the United Arab Emirates of arming the RSF.

This is a charge that U.N. experts and American politicians have found credible, and now, Khartoum has taken a case against it to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

The UAE has denied the allegation and called for the case to be thrown out.

At a conference in London, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the international community had to persuade the warring parties to protect civilians and let aid in.

He said he hoped the conference would establish principles for future engagement.

“We do need patient diplomacy,” he told delegates at the start of the conference. “We cannot resign ourselves to inevitable conflict. We cannot be back here, one year from now, having the same discussion.”

Britain co-hosted the conference with the African Union, the European Union, France, and Germany.

Egypt, Kenya, and the UAE were among those attending, although the Sudanese government objected to the inclusion of the UAE.

After the meeting, the European Union and member states pledged more than 522 million euros ($592 million) to address the crisis, while Britain announced an extra 120 million pounds ($158 million) in aid.