Sudan formalised militias into RSF in 2013
The Rapid Support Forces were created from Darfurian Arab militias and attached to intelligence services.
Sudan officially formed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in 2013, attaching them to the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). These militias, including fighters like Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemedti’, were initially mobilised in Darfur in 2003 to counter rebel groups. The government admired this counterinsurgency model despite international criticism, including an ICC arrest warrant for President Al-Basheer in March 2009 for war crimes.
The RSF's formalisation was partly a response to internal security concerns, including a foiled coup in November 2012 involving the NISS chief. The RSF's growth and official identity were seen by some as a tool to prevent coups against the regime. Hemedti later stated that 'Sudan has no army but us,' highlighting the group's perceived power.
The decision to formalise the RSF occurred between 2013 and 2014, a period when Sudan faced economic challenges exacerbated by sanctions, as noted by Al-Basheer in his January 2014 'National Leap Speech'. Concurrently, Europe was dealing with a 'Migration Crisis', leading to the establishment of the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative, known as the Khartoum Process, in November 2014.
Why it mattersThe creation of the RSF from informal militias and their attachment to intelligence services directly impacts Sudan's internal security and political stability.