Sudan’s Tasis alliance, a coalition of armed factions, political parties, and civil society groups aligned with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has announced the formation of a 31-member governance council aimed at establishing a rival administration to the army-backed government in Port Sudan. The declaration was made on July 1 in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, marking a major political maneuver by RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti. He was appointed president of the newly unveiled council, with his longtime adversary-turned-ally, Abdel Aziz Adam al-Hilu, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North (SPLM-N), named as vice president.
The Tasis alliance, launched in February 2025 during peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya, has since worked to consolidate opposition to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s military-led government based in Port Sudan. The RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have been locked in a brutal conflict since April 2023 that has left thousands dead, displaced over 13 million people, and led to severe humanitarian crises including famine and disease outbreaks. Tasis adopted a political charter earlier this year calling for a secular, inclusive, and democratic Sudan. However, internal disagreements reportedly delayed the unveiling of its leadership structure until now.
Al-Hilu’s inclusion is particularly significant. His SPLM-N movement—historically at odds with Khartoum and the Janjaweed militias, which evolved into the RSF—has long demanded a secular state and greater autonomy for marginalized regions like South Kordofan and Blue Nile. “This is a major achievement,” said Hasbelnabi Mahmoud, head of the Sudan Liberation Movement and a Tasis council member. “It signals our collective determination to build a new Sudan, free from racial and religious oppression.”
The next major step for the alliance is to select an official capital for its proposed alternative government. Meanwhile, questions remain about how the international community will respond to the emergence of this parallel authority and whether it could accelerate efforts for a negotiated end to Sudan’s civil war.
