Al-Burhan Issues Executive Order Formally Derecognizing RSF as State Institution — Hemedti's Removal as TSC Deputy Imminent

Sudan's head of state and SAF Commander-in-Chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued an executive order formally derecognizing the Rapid Support Forces as a state institution, stripping RSF members of legal status as elements of Sudan's security architecture. The order cuts off RSF fighters from Sudan's government payroll, pension systems, and state-administered benefits — with sweeping consequences for the estimated tens of thousands of RSF personnel administratively registered as state actors since the RSF's formalization under the 2019 Juba Peace Agreement framework. Politically, the derecognition prepares the legal ground for Hemedti's formal removal from the Transitional Sovereignty Council, where he has held the position of SAF Deputy Commander-in-Chief in a nominal capacity since the TSC's establishment. Malik Agar — former rebel leader and Sovereignty Council deputy head — is expected to be named as Hemedti's TSC replacement (formally announced May 19). The derecognition order represents the SAF government's clearest formal declaration that it considers the RSF a rebel group subject to military defeat rather than a party to negotiate with. In practice, the order formalizes what has been de facto policy since Sudan severed diplomatic ties with the UAE and classified RSF as an enemy force in 2024. However, the executive formalization carries direct legal consequences: RSF members presenting themselves as state actors in any ceasefire or reintegration framework will now be legally classified as combatants without state status. For peace prospects, the order significantly complicates the Quad-proposed 90-day humanitarian truce framework, which assumes both parties remain viable negotiating entities with standing to conclude a binding agreement. The ICG's May 2026 'Divided Sudan, Elusive Peace' brief noted that SAF maximalism — the pursuit of total military victory — was the primary structural obstacle to a negotiated pause; this executive order crystallizes that posture in law.