CAIRO (AP) 鈥 A notorious paramilitary group fighting against the Sudanese military said it's forming a rival government that will rule parts of the country controlled by the group, including the western Darfur region where the United Nations says recent attacks by the group have killed over 400 people.
Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces, announced the move in a speech on Tuesday as the northeastern African nation marked .
鈥淥n this anniversary, we proudly declare the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity,鈥 Dagalo said in a recorded speech, adding that other groups have joined the RSF-led administration, including a faction of the Sudan鈥檚 Liberation Movement, which controls parts of Kordofan region.
Dagalo, who is , said that he and his allies were also establishing 鈥渁 15-member Presidential Council鈥 representing all of Sudan鈥檚 regions.
The RSF has suffered multiple battlefield setbacks, losing the capital of Khartoum and other cities in recent months but has since regrouped in its stronghold in Darfur. That raises concerns that Sudan is heading towards partition 鈥 or a prolonged conflict like in neighboring Libya, where two rival administrations have been fighting for power for over a decade.
The U.N. said Wednesday it was extremely concerned over the RSF鈥檚 move and that 鈥減reserving Sudan鈥檚 unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity is a fundamental principle for a sustainable resolution of the conflict and the long-term stability of the country.鈥
鈥淭he formation of a parallel government would not bring Sudan any closer to a resolution of the conflict,鈥 U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, calling on the international community to find ways to help the Sudanese people end the war.
Many countries, including the U.S., have rejected the RSF efforts to establish an administration in areas they control and condemned the signing by the paramilitary group and its allies what they called in a Kenya-hosted conference in February.
Sudan was plunged into chaos on April 15, 2023 when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country.
Since then, at least 24,000 people have been killed, though the number is likely far higher, and about 13 million have been driven from their homes, including 4 million who have crossed into neighboring countries.
The fighting has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, , according to the U.N. and international rights groups.
Dagalo鈥檚 announcement came days after his forces and allied militias rampaged through two famine-hit camps, which shelter some 700,000 Sudanese who fled their homes, in North Darfur province.
The multi-day attack on the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps killed more than 400 people, including 12 aid workers and dozens of children, the U.N. humanitarian office said, citing local sources.
Dujarric said Tuesday the attack forced up to 400,000 people to flee the Zamzam camp, which has become inaccessible to aid workers after the RSF and allied militias took control of it.
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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
