RSF Commander Dagalo Sworn In as Head of Parallel Government in Sudan

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was sworn in on Sunday, August 31, as leader of a self-declared parallel government in Nyala, capital of South Darfur State. The Sudanese Founding Alliance, a coalition aligned with the RSF, confirmed that Abdelaziz Adam al-Hilu was sworn in as Dagalo’s deputy, alongside a 13-member presidential council.

This follows the coalition’s July announcement of a parallel Authority, rooted in a February political charter signed in Kenya by the RSF and allied groups—an initiative strongly rejected by Khartoum.

The move has drawn international condemnation, with the UN Security Council denouncing the creation of a rival government as a violation of Sudan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Sudan has been gripped by a brutal conflict since April 2023 between the RSF and the national army, which has left more than 20,000 officially confirmed dead and displaced 14 million people. Independent research from US universities suggests the true death toll may be as high as 130,000, underscoring the catastrophic human cost of the ongoing war.