RSF, Tasis coalition move to establish parallel central bank and banking system
January 8, 2026 (NYALA) – The civil administration of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in cooperation with the Tasis coalition, has begun taking practical steps to establish a central bank and a parallel banking system in areas under its control, a move that threatens to deepen the institutional and economic fragmentation of war-torn Sudan.
In late July 2025, the Sudan Founding Coalition (Tasis), the political wing of the RSF, announced an agreement to form a 15-member presidential council led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Former Sovereign Council member Mohamed Hassan al-Taishi was appointed Prime Minister, with the official formation of the government expected to follow.
The parallel government has not received regional or international recognition and has faced official rejection from the African Union, the United Nations, and the Security Council. Several countries have also individually declared they will not recognize any authority parallel to Sudan’s government.
The civil administration in East Darfur State recently announced the start of procedures to establish “Al-Mustaqbal Bank” (Future Bank) as the region’s first banking institution. The bank aims to address a liquidity crisis and the collapse of the traditional financial system. Mohamed Idris Khater, head of the civil administration in East Darfur, said the bank will rely on electronic banking to overcome logistical challenges and address the lack of banking services in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.
Hasab al-Nabi Mahmoud, a member of the leadership body of the Tasis coalition, told Sudan Tribune of a broader plan that includes appointing a Finance Minister within the framework of a transitional government. The plan also includes establishing a new central bank, issuing identity documents, and addressing land and court issues.
Mahmoud argued that, over the past three years, problems faced by Sudanese citizens regarding the national economy, the Bank of Sudan, and the Ministry of Finance have worsened. He accused the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) of hijacking the Ministry of Finance as part of a division of state institutions, as “spoils of war” by parties in Port Sudan.
He said it was time to reclaim state institutions by building new national entities to serve the Sudanese people under the Tasis coalition government. These institutions would operate within a decentralized federal framework to ensure fair service distribution, he added.
Observers see these moves as part of an intensifying struggle between the Sudanese Army and the RSF for control over financial resources and sovereign institutions. The civil administration in Darfur accuses authorities in Port Sudan of politicizing the financial system, leading to a lack of liquidity and unpaid salaries in western Sudan.
The Tasis coalition’s announcement regarding a finance minister and a parallel civil registry represents an attempt to impose a “state within a state” reality. Observers fear this will lead to the de facto partition of the country, with each side having its own financial system, currency, and identity documents.
In contrast, economic expert Haitham Mohamed Fathi told Sudan Tribune that the Sovereign Council and the transitional government have proven their ability to unify the economy since the start of the war, thanks to international legitimacy. He said they have successfully prevented the RSF from using the economy as a weapon to threaten national stability.
Fathi pointed out that the state has fought its “quietest and most dangerous battles,” not with tanks but with international decisions and adherence to state institutions.
He warned that establishing a banking system by the RSF in Darfur would negatively impact trade, describing the step as a unilateral measure that deepens economic division and exacerbates the living crisis and soaring prices. He further noted that the Central Bank of Sudan controls international transfer systems such as SWIFT and IBAN, meaning any parallel bank would be isolated from the global financial system.
Analysts believe that establishing a bank in conflict zones faces massive legal and international challenges, most notably the lack of international recognition. Global financial institutions, such as the IMF and the World Bank, continue to deal exclusively with the Central Bank in Port Sudan as the sole legitimate entity.
Furthermore, capital and guarantees remain a major obstacle. RSF government officials have not disclosed the capital for Al-Mustaqbal Bank or the identity of its shareholders, raising fundamental questions about the institution’s viability in a war economy.