Sudanese-Dutch lawyer named justice minister of rebel Rapid Support Forces

Osama Said, who holds both Sudanese and Dutch citizenship and works as a lawyer in the Netherlands, announced his appointment as minister of justice for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He told one outlet his goal is to bring peace to Sudan and ease civilian suffering. The RSF, a paramilitary force engaged in a civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces since 2023, has set up a rival government that is not recognised by the Netherlands and is designated a terrorist group by the European Union.

United Nations figures estimate roughly 60,000 people have been killed and more than 13 million displaced by the fighting. The RSF’s 18-month siege of El Fasher in western Darfur cut off food and medical supplies, and Amnesty International documented massacres, sexual violence and forced servitude against civilians who fled. The appointment highlights the RSF’s effort to gain political legitimacy despite widespread international condemnation.