RSF's Hemetti sworn in as head of parallel government as civilians killed in Kordofan

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, was sworn in as the head of a parallel Sudanese government, the government said in a statement, pushing the country a step closer towards de facto partition.

Dagalo, known as Hemetti, has rarely been seen in Sudan since the start of a 28-month-long war with the country's national army, but was sworn in in the Sudanese city of Nyala, the statement said. Reuters could not independently confirm his location.

One of Sudan's largest cities, situated in the Darfur region, Nyala has served as the de facto capital for the RSF, which has appointed a prime minister and a presidential council, led by Dagalo.

The city was targeted with drone attacks on Saturday.

The Sudanese army said that five civilians from one family, including two young girls, were killed in a drone strike carried out by the RSF in North Kordofan State in southern Sudan.

The overnight attack targeted the village of Awlad Al-Sharif in the Indraba area, the army said in a statement. Six other villagers were injured.

The military described the strike as part of what it called the RSF’s “pattern of atrocities against civilians and war crimes.”

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Violent attacks