Militia chief sworn in as head of rival government in African state

Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has pledged to build a “civil, secular and democratic state” in Sudan

Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has been sworn in as head of a rival government in the war-torn African country, a coalition aligned with the armed group has announced.

General Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, was inaugurated on Saturday in Nyala, the main city of South Darfur region, to lead a 15-member Presidential Council, including regional governors, the Sudan Founding Alliance (TASIS) said in a statement.

Nyala, Sudan’s most populous city outside the nation’s capital, Khartoum, has served as the RSF’s de facto base since the paramilitary group became locked in a brutal civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in April 2023, following months of tension over the country’s transition to civilian rule.

“The inauguration of the president of the Presidential Council… is conducted under the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of Sudan for 2025, which abolishes the Transitional Constitutional Document of 2019 along with all preceding laws, decisions, and decrees,” TASIS stated.

The coalition said the new constitution sets out key duties for the paramilitary-led ‘Transitional Government of Peace’, including ending the war and securing “a just and lasting peace, and establishing the Sudanese state on new foundations.”

In a speech during his swearing-in, Dagalo vowed to build a “civil, secular and democratic state” in Sudan, promising to guarantee freedoms, prevent army interference in politics, and free citizens from fear.

He said his administration is ready to work with UN agencies and humanitarian groups to deliver aid across Sudan, pledging commitment to international and regional agreements while seeking relations built on common interests and global peace.

On Sunday, Dagalo issued a decree appointing Mohammed Hassan Osman Eltaishi as prime minister.

The ceremony comes despite the UN, African Union (AU), and foreign governments rejecting the rival authority first announced in July. The AU warned it could prolong the two-year conflict and urged the world not to recognize it. Last month, the UN Security Council reaffirmed Sudan’s sovereignty and unity and pressed the army and RSF to resume talks toward a ceasefire and political settlement.

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