RSF group forms parallel government in Sudan

RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo made the announcement on Tuesday just as diplomats gathered in London to try and find solutions to the war two years since it began.

Dagalo's announcement comes just months after the RSF signed a political charter and unveiled a new constitution in Nairobi. 

"On this anniversary, we proudly declare the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity, a broad civilian coalition that reflects the true face of Sudan," Hamdan Dagalo, RSF Leader, stated.

He emphasized that it is not the formation of a parallel state but a realistic future for Sudan.

"We are not building a parallel state. We are building the only realistic future for Sudan. Our government will provide essential services education, health care, and justice," he added. 

Dagalo’s declaration came as foreign ministers and diplomats gathered in London for the Lancaster House conference on Sudan an international effort to end the war in Sudan.

But instead of unity, the meeting ended in division with some countries supporting SAF and others RSF, with no final statement, no breakthrough.

The United Kingdom, European Union, the African Union,  France, and Germany hosted the talks, all urging an immediate ceasefire but neither side of Sudan’s conflict; SAF leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan nor the RSF's Hamdan Dagalo were invited.

With President William Ruto facing harsh criticism over his ties with the RSF and Hemedti and for allowing RSF political activity on Kenyan soil, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi is now seemingly pushing back; urging both warring parties to come to the table. 

"Pressure must be exerted in equal measure on the parties to the conflict to force them to the negotiating table," Mudavadi stated. 

But as world diplomats go back and forth, the violence rages on. In western Sudan, the RSF is tightening its grip on Darfur, now laying siege to El-Fasher, the last major city in the region not under its control.

The UN says more than 400 people have been killed in recent days. On Sunday, the RSF claimed it had taken over the Zamzam displacement camp.

The U.S. has condemned the RSF, accusing it of targeting civilians in Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps.

With no clear path to peace and a rival government being declared mid-conflict, Sudan’s future is more uncertain than ever. One country, two governments, a war with no end in sight and the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world.