Sudan’s military government on Tuesday took offence at Kenya’s decision to host its rivals the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies in Nairobi to launch a parallel government.
The Abdel Fattah al-Burhan side said it considered Kenya’s move an act of hostility and betrayal.
"Hosting leaders of the terrorist RSF militia and allowing them to conduct political and propaganda activities while they continue to perpetrate genocide, massacre civilians on an ethnic basis, attack IDP camps, and commit acts of rape constitutes an endorsement of and complicity in these heinous crimes," a statement from the ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
“Equally, this action by the Kenyan government not only violates the principles of good neighbourliness but also contravenes the pledges Kenya has made at the highest levels not to allow hostile activities against Sudan to be carried out on its soil. It is, therefore, tantamount to an act of hostility against the entire Sudanese people."
The junta dismissed the parallel government idea, saying it would have no effect "on the ground."
The statement followed a comment from Gen Burhan, the leader of the Sudan Sovereignty Council, the military government that controls the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) that have fought against RSF since April 2023.downplaying the significance of forming a parallel government as an unpopular idea in the country.
Burhan said the groups attempting to establish such a government are rejected by the Sudanese people, and that his forces (SAF) would ensure it doesn’t happen.
His Foreign ministry urged the international community to condemn the Nairobi meeting, and accused Kenya of reneging on an earlier promise not to support a parallel authority.
Nairobi did not immediately comment on the meeting.
But Burhan’s remarks came amid rising tensions, as political forces and armed movements negotiated a new charter, in the Kenyan capital, with the RSF calling for the formation of a government in the areas under its control.
This move has sparked widespread controversy in Sudanese circles, leading to a split within the Civil Democratic Forces Coordination known as Taqaddum, and exacerbating disagreements within its parties and entities.
Speaking at an educational conference in Darfur, on Monday, Gen Burhan said that the Sudanese people would not accept a government imposed from outside, adding that Sudanese citizens are united and fighting together on all fronts to preserve the country’s unity.
He also stressed that there was no room for the return of the former Prime Minister Abdullah Hamdok, asserting that there had been no communication with the “Forces of Freedom and Change.” He described any talk regarding this as “rumours and lies” and stated that the only communication they were engaging in was with fighters on the battlefield.
“Anyone who wants to rule Sudan must first come to the country and fight alongside the Sudanese people to defeat the rebellion. There is no place for foreign agents among us anymore.”
This comes amid military escalation and horrific massacres, with the RSF committing a brutal massacre in the villages of Getina in the White Nile, which resulted in the deaths of 433 people, including infants. This atrocity adds to a series of other massacres in areas such as Wad Al-Noura, Jalqani, Al-Hilaliya, Al-Seriha, Tamboul, the Zamzam IDP camp, and villages in North Darfur. The RSF is already sanctioned by the US for genocide while Burhan and his allies have been sanctioned for fomenting violence in Sudan, where some 23,000 people have died and 11 million others displaced.
Observers note that these atrocities reflect the nature of the ongoing war, which has transcended the direct military conflict between the army and the RSF, evolving into a conflict with ethnic, regional, and political dimensions that threatens to plunge Sudan into sustained chaos akin to Libya and Syria.
At a meeting in Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre on February 18, the RSF, along with supportive political parties, civil society, and youth groups, said that the move for a parallel government is meant to rescue the people of Sudan from their deprived civil liberties caused by the civil war that began in April 2023.
The group, however, did not name the seat of the government only saying that it would be based on any of the territories they control.
The announcement came as a surprise as RSF has lost many of their strongholds, but speakers at the Nairobi meeting claimed that they still control 75 percent of the country.
RSF leader, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also sanctioned by the US, skipped the meeting, even though he had arrived in Nairobi on Sunday. The centre of attention was Abdelaziz Adam al-Hilu, chairman of the Sudanese politician and the current chairperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N)—who is controlling parts of Southern Blue Nile and Blue Nile provinces.
Gen Abdul Rahim Dagalo, the second in command of the RSF and the leader of Umma Party Fadlallah Burma Nasir, were in attendance.
“We are going to unveil a new charter that will government the country as we await the enactment of a new constitution,” said the RSF’s head of communication, Muhammed Nizar.
The move is meant to counter the announcement by Burhan who recently announced his plans to hold a national dialogue to form a new transitional government ahead of the elections.
Over 500 delegates from Sudan and the diaspora such as Europe and the USA attended the meeting characterised by sloganeering—with speeches continuously interrupted by chants and songs.
Prominently absent was the former Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok, who was initially expected to form the transitional government.
Ibrahim al-Mirghani, a leader in the Democratic Unionist Party, stated that the coalition members agreed to form a “government of peace and unity” that would be announced within Sudan.
While RSF claims to control 75 percent of Sudan, Khalid Abdullah, a Counsellor at the Sudanese Embassy in Nairobi maintains that the group is fast losing grip of many regions.
Now, the future of dialogue and international mediation is becoming more complicated. Previous rounds of negotiations in Jeddah and Cairo have failed to make any significant progress, and both sides appear unwilling to engage in serious talks. The army believes that any political settlement is premature unless the RSF is weakened militarily, while the militia continues to exploit its crimes and territorial control as leverage for political gain.
Kenya, which is hosting the signing of the political charter between political forces and the RSF, remains under suspicion by the Burhan camp, which accuses the country of bias toward the RSF. While Nairobi attempts to play a mediatory role, Sudan’s rejection of its involvement in previous initiatives could make the success of these efforts uncertain.
Yet, despite efforts by the African Union and regional countries, international mediations have failed to have a meaningful impact in Sudan at all, highlighting the lack of genuine willingness from the concerned parties to end the conflict.
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