Sudan’s new parallel government undeterred by lack of recognition, official says

August 1, 2025 (NYALA, South Darfur) – A newly formed parallel government in Sudan, led by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its rebel allies, will proceed with its plans despite a lack of international recognition, an official from the coalition said on Friday.

Adel Shalouka, a senior official in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), stated that the “Tasis” (Founding) coalition’s legitimacy stems from the Sudanese people and their fighters, not from foreign powers.

“We will not face a crisis of recognition,” Shalouka told Sudan Tribune. “The world will recognize the Tasis coalition government in the end.”

The “Tasis” alliance announced the formation of a transitional government on July 26, headed by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. SPLM-N leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu is his deputy.

The move was rejected by the Arab League and the African Union, which urged member states not to grant it recognition. The parallel administration challenges the army-aligned government based in Port Sudan, which holds Sudan’s seat at the United Nations.

Shalouka dismissed the Arab League’s position as “unimportant” and described the African Union’s stance as being “affected by its internal contradictions.”

He stated that the primary goal of the new administration was to provide services to citizens in areas under its control, which he claimed had been deprived of aid by the Port Sudan government.

“The reality on the ground, especially the humanitarian situation, necessitated this,” he said, denying the government was using a negotiating tactic.

The war in Sudan, which broke out in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The RSF controls most of the Darfur region and large parts of Kordofan, where it shares influence with the SPLM-N and the army.