A Sudanese coalition led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces announced on Saturday (July 26, 2025) the members of a parallel government, a move opposed by the Army, its rival in a 27-month war that could drive the country further towards partition.
RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo was announced head of the presidential council, while Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, head of the SPLM-N, one of the country's largest rebel groups, was made his deputy on a 15-member council.
Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi, a civilian politician, was named prime minister, and regional governors were announced in a press conference from Nyala, the largest city in the Darfur region which the RSF controls most of.
The Sudanese army has pushed the paramilitaries out of the center of the country, while deadly fighting rages over the center-west Kordofan region and Darfur's traditional capital of al-Fashir.
In February, the RSF and its allied politicians and rebel groups agreed to form a government for a secular "New Sudan," aiming to challenge the army-led administration's legitimacy and secure advanced arms imports. The government announced on Saturday includes governors for regions of the country firmly controlled by the army.
