Rapid Support Forces

Also known as RSF, Quwwāt ad-daʿm as-sarīʿ

The Rapid Support Forces are a Sudanese paramilitary force formerly operated by the Sudanese government. They originated as auxiliary force militias known as the Janjaweed used by the Sudanese government during the War in Darfur, which the government later restructured as a paramilitary organization in August 2013 under the command of Muhammad Dagalo, better known by his nom de guerre Hemedti.

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Key facts

Commander: Hemedti
Deputy head: Abdul Rahim Dagalo
Head of operations: Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed ( since November 2024 )
East darfur commander: Abdul Rahman Jumma
Spokesperson: Yousif Ibrahim Ismaeil ( 2021–2024 ), Mohamed Mokhtar and Al-Fateh al-Qurashi ( 2024–present )
Foundation: August 2013
Allegiance: Government of Sudan (2013–2023), Territory of the Rapid Support Forces ( 2023–2025 ), Government of Peace and Unity ( 2025–present )
Ideology: Baggara interests , Arab supremacy , New Sudan (self-presented, disputed) , Anti-Black racism , Africanist populism (disputed) , Anti-Islamism (disputed) , Secularism , Tribalism
Notable attacks

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Article

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; Arabic: قُوَّاتْ الدّعْمْ السَّرِيعْ, romanized: Quwwāt ad-daʿm as-sarīʿ) are a Sudanese paramilitary force formerly operated by the Sudanese government. They originated as auxiliary force militias known as the Janjaweed used by the Sudanese government during the War in Darfur, which the government later restructured as a paramilitary organization in August 2013 under the command of Muhammad Dagalo, better known by his nom de guerre Hemedti.

Since 2023, the RSF has been fighting a civil war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of Sudan, after seizing power along with the SAF in the 2021 Sudanese coup d'état. In 2025, it established a parallel government called the Government of Peace and Unity.