SOUTH DARFUR – Former member of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Mohamed al-Hassan al-Taayshi, was sworn in on Sunday, August 31,2025, as Prime Minister of a new de facto government announced by the “Tasis” coalition in areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The move, broadcast in videos shared by media outlets linked to the coalition, came just one day after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as ” Hemeti”, took an oath as the head of the coalition’s presidential council before the chief justice in Nyala, South Darfur’s capital.
The announcement of a rival government has triggered sharp condemnation from Sudan’s de facto government in Port Sudan as well as global actors, including the United Nations, which warned that the development risks further fragmenting the country.
The “Tasis” coalition brings together a mixture of armed and political groups. Chief among them are the RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-N) led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The coalition also includes the Revolutionary Front, which represents several Darfur-based factions, breakaway elements from the Umma Party and the Democratic Unionist Party, along with traditional leaders and community figures. The coalition’s presidential council serves as its supreme authority.
Videos circulated by Pro-RSF platforms also showed Hemeti walking alongside SPLM leader al-Hilu in the streets of Nyala, a public appearance seemingly aimed at demonstrating the strength of alliance.
The move has not one unnoticed by the international community. On August 13, 2025, the UN Security Council issued a statement rejecting the establishment of a “Parallel government” in RSF-held territories. It warned that such an initiative “may deepen divisions, threaten Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity, and worsen the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis.”
Sudan’s de facto government in Port Sudan swiftly declared it does not recognize the new entity. Meanwhile, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) vowed to press with their military campaign “to end the RSF’s presence.”
The competing claims of authority highlight Sudan’s worsening political crisis more than two years into a brutal war between the army and the RSF. with both sides consolidating power in separate regions of the country, analysts warn that the emergence of the “Tasis” coalition risks institutionalizing a de facto partition.
By appointing a cabinet and taking formal oaths of office, the RSF and its allies are seeking to present themselves as a legitimate alternative to the government in Port Sudan. Buth the move may also accelerate military confrontations and complicate peace efforts led by regional and international mediators.
For civilians trapped in the crossfire, the creation of two rival governments raises fears of prolonged instability. Humanitarian agencies have already warned that more than 25 million of Sudanese face acute food insecurity, while ongoing fighting has devastated infrastructure and displaced millions.
Whether the “Tasis” coalition can consolidate its authority remains unclear. But the symbolism of al-Taayshi’s swearing in, alongside Hemeti’s own oath in Nyala, marks a dramatic new chapter in Sudan’s fractured political landscape.
