Sudan’s GSLF says no immediate merger with RSF
March 1, 2025 (NAIROBI) – A spokesperson for the Gathering of the Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF), led by Al-Tahir Hajer, said on Saturday that its forces would not be merged into the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The GSLF, along with other armed, political, and civil groups, signed the Founding Sudan Charter in late February. The charter calls for the establishment of a single army as part of a parallel government planned for areas under RSF control.
“There is no talk of our forces joining or merging with the Rapid Support Forces at this stage,” GSLF spokesperson Fathi Mohamed Abdo told Sudan Tribune.
He said the current focus is on coordinating joint efforts, including military action, with all forces that signed the Founding Sudan Charter.
Abdelaziz al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), ruled out merging fighters from the signatory groups into a single army a day before signing the charter. He stressed that such a step would only occur after a comprehensive peace agreement with the Sudanese government was signed.
Abdo explained that any decisions regarding the future of the GSLF’s forces would be made according to the legal framework and the founding constitution, considering the interests of the Sudanese people.
On Friday, the deputy chief of staff of the Sudan Liberation Movement-Transitional Council (SLM-TC) said all armed factions that signed the founding charter would take joint action to build a unified force to protect the government and citizens and enforce the rule of law.
Fathi Mohamed Abdo stated that the alliance between the GSLF and the Sudan Liberation Movement faction led by Abdel Wahid Nur (SLM-AW) is a strategic one they are keen to maintain and develop in line with political and military developments.
“We believe that this cooperation serves common strategic interests, as we are committed to coordination and joint action to achieve the goals upon which the alliance was founded,” he added.
On January 12, the two movements formed a neutral force to protect civilians, commercial convoys, and aid corridors. Less than a month after its formation, the force was attacked by the RSF near Tawila in North Darfur state.