John Adoyi
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, has been sworn in as the head of a Rapid Support Forces (RSF)-led administration in Sudan, a move denounced by the army-backed government and widely condemned by the international community.
The ceremony, held in Nyala, South Darfur, featured a redesigned version of Sudan’s national emblem, the Secretarybird. In the RSF’s version, “Republic of Sudan” appeared at the top and the motto “Freedom, Justice, Equality” at the bottom, with eight stars added to the bird’s center. The original emblem carries the motto “Victory is Ours” at the top and “Republic of Sudan” at the bottom.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelHemedti announced a 15-member presidential council. Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), was sworn in as his deputy. Other members included provincial governors, some from territories still under army control.
“This is the beginning of the end of suffering by the Sudanese people as a result of displacement and exile,” Hemedti said during the swearing-in. He pledged to create a secular and democratic Sudan “where the law reigns above all.”
Sudan’s army-backed administration in Port Sudan rejected the move outright, calling it an illegal attempt to partition the country. Both the African Union and Arab League dismissed the RSF’s claim to legitimacy, while the UN Security Council warned that the step risked deepening divisions and escalating the humanitarian crisis.
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Analysts say the establishment of a parallel government mirrors Libya’s split between rival authorities and could push Sudan further toward permanent partition.
The civil war, which erupted in April 2023, has already killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 13 million, and left half the population facing hunger. Darfur has seen some of the worst atrocities, with the RSF accused of ethnic cleansing and the army blamed for indiscriminate air strikes and extrajudicial killings.
Hemedti’s swearing-in, coupled with the symbolic rebranding of Sudan’s national emblem, is being seen as his boldest attempt yet to present the RSF as the sole legitimate authority in western Sudan. But with near-universal rejection abroad and fierce resistance from the army, the move leaves the country even more fractured.
