UN Security Council warns against Sudan rival government

The UN Security Council has voiced "grave concern" over a charter signed by Sudan's paramilitary forces, warning it could deepen the country's war and worsen the humanitarian crisis.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, at war with Sudan's army since April 2023, signed the charter last month with its allies to establish a "government of peace and unity" in RSF-held areas.

"The members of the Security Council expressed grave concern over the signing of a charter to establish a parallel governing authority in Sudan," council members said in a statement late on Wednesday.

They warned such a move would "risk exacerbating the ongoing conflict in Sudan, fragmenting the country, and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation".

They also urged warring factions to immediately cease hostilities and engage in "political dialogue and diplomatic efforts towards a durable ceasefire".

For nearly two years, the army and RSF have been locked in fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted more than 12 million and created what the International Rescue Committee calls the "biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded".

The war has torn the country in two, with the army controlling the north and east, while the RSF holds nearly all of the western region of Darfur and swathes of the south.

In recent weeks, army forces have made gains in the capital Khartoum and in central Sudan, retaking key areas that were swiftly seized by paramilitaries when the war began.