DARFUR – A prominent Sudanese politician and member of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, Yasir Said Arman, has cautioned that the establishment of two separate governments in Sudan would exacerbate the ongoing conflict and create a division among the populace between rival administrations.
A paramilitary group and its allies in Sudan formed a parallel government in areas under the group’s control in the western region of Darfur.
The move, which was announced Saturday in Nyala, the largest city in Darfur.
The newly formed Tasis Alliance named RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo—also known as Hemedti—as head of a 15-member sovereign council, which will serve as head of state in the new government, mainly overseeing the western region of Darfur.
Rebel leader Abdelaziz al-Hilu of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) will act as Dagalo’s deputy, while former civilian official Mohammed Hassan al-Taishi is appointed prime minister.
Yassir Arman, a Sudanese senior politician, said it is the first time since 1956 that Sudan is witnessing two rival governments within one country, competing for power, resources, and legitimacy, each contributing to the prolongation of the war.
“However, the shortest path to peace is for all parties to sit down and agree on an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that ends the humanitarian catastrophe and ensures the protection of civilians,” Arman said in a Facebook post on Monday.
He called for dialogue to end violence in Sudan.
“The war must then be brought to an end by addressing its root causes—chief among them the establishment of a non-discriminatory state based on equal citizenship, democracy, development, justice, accountability, and a professional army, among other reforms,” he said.
He said the Islamic movement must not be rewarded and should be designated as a terrorist organization.
“The Libyan model destroyed our brothers’ country in Libya and will fare no better in Sudan. Relief must come before politics.”
The RSF grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias, mobilized two decades ago by then-President Omar Bashir against populations that identify as Central or East African in Darfur. The Janjaweed were accused of mass killings, rapes, and other atrocities.
