The leader of the paramilitaries in Sudan, Mohamad Hamdane Daglo, announced Tuesday the establishment of a rival government, on the second anniversary of the civil war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and plunged part of the country into famine.

Gathered in London, officials from about fifteen countries including Saudi Arabia, the U.S., and international organizations called for an “immediate and permanent cease-fire” in Sudan and emphasized “the need to prevent any partition” of this East African country. A cease-fire demand reiterated later by the G7 countries who also asked all “external actors to cease any support that further fuels the conflict,” in a statement.

The war broke out on April 15, 2023, between the regular army commanded by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Daglo, his former deputy. “On this anniversary, we proudly affirm the establishment of a government of peace and unity,” said General Daglo on his Telegram account, announcing notably a “new currency” and a “new identity card.” “This government represents the true face of Sudan,” he asserted.

More than two weeks before this anniversary, the army recaptured control of Khartoum from where it had been expelled by the RSF just after the war began. Hundreds of thousands of people had fled the capital.

Many civilians celebrated what was for them a “liberation” after nearly two years under the grip of the paramilitaries, accused of genocide, looting, and sexual violence. Zainab Abdelrahim, a 38-year-old woman, returned to Khartoum with her six children in early April, where she barely recognized her looted house. “We are trying to gather the essentials, but there is no water, no electricity, no medicine.”

“We haven’t stopped running”

According to the U.N., more than 2.1 million displaced people could return to Khartoum within six months, if security conditions and infrastructure allow. After losing Khartoum, the paramilitaries concentrated their attacks in Darfur (west) to try to capture Al-Fasher, the last provincial capital in the region not under their control.

On Sunday, the RSF, which controls nearly all of Darfur, announced they had taken the Zamzam camp, near Al-Fasher, where more than 500,000 displaced people affected by famine lived, during an assault that left more than 400 dead according to the U.N.

According to the International Organization for Migration, about 400,000 civilians fled this camp. “They entered Zamzam and started shooting at us,” Amna Hussein, 36, told AFP, injured by a bullet in the hand before fleeing the Zamzam camp to the town of Tawila, some 60 km further. “I wrapped my hand with cloth to stop the bleeding and we haven’t stopped running,” she said, exhausted from three days of walking, her hand swollen.

The army of General Burhane, the de facto leader of the country since a coup in 2021, controls the north and east, while the paramilitaries dominate the south and west.

On Monday, Antonio Guterres called for an end to “external support and the flow of arms” fueling the war.

The Sudanese army accuses the United Arab Emirates of supporting the paramilitaries by delivering them weapons, which the RSF and the Emirates deny.

More than 800 million euros

In their final statement, participants at the London conference pledged to mobilize more than 800 million euros in additional funds for this country mired in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. “Many have given up on Sudan (...) It's a moral error when there are so many beheaded civilians, infants as young as one year old victims of sexual violence, and more people threatened with starvation than anywhere else in the world,” said British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the conference.

“Continuing to turn a blind eye to Sudan will have catastrophic consequences,” said Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The destruction of Sudan's healthcare system makes any accurate victim assessment impossible. In 2024, the former U.N. envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, estimated 150,000 deaths.

The warring parties have been accused of targeting civilians, indiscriminately bombing populated areas, and obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid. Nearly 25 million Sudanese suffer from acute food insecurity, with eight million on the brink of famine, according to the U.N.