The United Nations (UN) has warned that the formation of a parallel government in Sudan could escalate the country’s ongoing crisis.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) planned announcement of an alternative government, which is expected on Friday. “We are extremely concerned about any escalation of the conflict in Sudan, and any such move that could further divide the country and exacerbate the crisis,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement on Wednesday.
Dujarric underscored the importance of maintaining Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, emphasizing that these are key to achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict and ensuring long-term stability for the region.
The RSF, engaged in a nearly two-year conflict with the Sudanese army, announced its intention to sign a “founding charter” for a so-called “Government of Peace and Unity” in Sudan. Initially scheduled for Tuesday at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Conference Centre, the event has been postponed to Friday amid internal divisions among RSF-aligned groups.
Sudan’s government condemned Kenya’s hosting of the meeting, accusing it of encouraging the fragmentation of African states and violating principles of good neighborliness. In a statement issued Tuesday, Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move “an act of hostility against the entire Sudanese people” and urged the international community to denounce Kenya’s actions.
The Nairobi conference, titled “Sudan Founding Alliance,” gathered leaders of armed movements and opposition political figures, including Fadlallah Burma of the National Umma Party, RSF deputy commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo, and Abdulaziz al-Hilu, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North.
The Sudanese government maintains that forming a parallel government contravenes international law and the UN Charter.
These developments unfold amid Sudan’s devastating war, which began in mid-April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The conflict has resulted in over 20,000 deaths and displaced nearly 15 million people, according to estimates from the UN and local authorities.
