RSF to lead Sudan’s parallel government presidential council

March 25, 2024 (NAIROBI) – Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will head the presidential council of a parallel government, with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) taking the deputy position, sources within the “Founding Sudan Alliance” said on Tuesday.

Sources familiar with the matter told Sudan Tribune that the RSF will hold approximately 40% or more of the positions in the parallel government’s power structure, while the SPLM-N, led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, secured around 30%.

The remaining 30% will be distributed among other alliance members, including the Revolutionary Front, the National Umma Party faction of Fadallah Burma, and other groups, the sources added.

Disputes over the presidency between the RSF and the SPLM-N had previously delayed the alliance’s announcement.

On February 22, the RSF, political and civil groups, and armed movements signed a political declaration in Nairobi. The declaration called for the formation of a political alliance and a parallel government in areas controlled by the RSF.

The constitution, signed by the parties, declares Sudan a “secular, democratic, decentralized state based on the separation of religion and state, and equal citizenship as the basis for rights and duties.”

The sources said the presidential council will comprise 15 members, including regional governors. They added that the alliance is strongly inclined to avoid partisan quotas for the prime minister’s post and instead appoint an independent technocrat.

The constitution defines three levels of governance: federal, regional, and local, and divides Sudan into eight regions.