A number of retired military personnel with Islamist leanings have announced the establishment of the Patriotic Entity Forces (PEF), with the declared aim of cancelling the Juba Peace Agreement, creating a balance of power between different Sudanese governorates, ending political and economic marginalization, and achieving social justice. The establishment of the PEF reflects the fluidity of the security situation in Sudan, in view of rising Islamist activity, and could be viewed as an offshoot of  militias that were prevalent during the Bashir era.

The group of retired Sudanese army officers led by Colonel Khalid Al- Sawarmi, former spokesman of the Sudanese army, held a press conference in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on November 13, announcing the formation of this military political organization. Al-Sawarmi and other members of the PEF were promptly arrested by Sudanese military intelligence, where they underwent  extensive questioning regarding the group, its objectives and its supporters, and were charged with openly calling for  mutiny against legitimate authorities.

Specific objectives

Colonel Al-Sawarmi served as spokesman for the army under former President Omar al-Bashir until his ousting in April 2019, after which he was assigned to the RSF under the chairmanship of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Vice-President of the Transitional Sovereign Council, for a short period, then he was retired from the army.  Al-Sawarmi announced that there were 28 objectives behind the formation of the PEF, including:

Establishing a military balance between various Sudanese governorates: During the press conference announcing the establishment of the PDF, Al-Sawarmi said the main objective was to find a state of military balance, especially between the governorates in the north and Center of Sudan and the Kordofan regions, and the governorates in which there are armed groups, such as Darfur. The new organization claimed access to thousands of soldiers and combatants in those regions.

Canceling the Juba Peace Agreement: The PEF aims to cancel the agreement which was signed in October 2020 between the former Transitional Government and armed movements and groups under the umbrella of the Revolutionary Front. The PEF believes that the Juba Agreement has given the armed movements which were parties to it political and economic advantages that the states of North and Centre have not received. And since the agreement has not yet been fully implemented, this is further justification for annulling it.

Ending political and developmental marginalization: The PEF founders believe that the governorates of northern and central Sudan, as well as Kordofan, continue to suffer from political and economic marginalization. As the armed movements of Darfur  have been allocated  political positions, the PEF should also be allocated similar political representation enabling it to defend the rights of its own regions. 

Achieving social and economic justice: the PEF declared it is seeking to achieve economic and social goals, by working to achieve rights and social justice within Sudanese society.

Important implications 

Although the Sudanese authorities arrested and interrogated the PEF’s leaders, the bold act of organizing a press conference in the capital Khartoum to announce the establishment of an organization with political and military objectives carries with it a number of important political and security implications, including the following:

Return of non-state actors: The establishment of the PEF once more raised the issue of the parallel military forces established by the regime of former President Omar al-Bashir, such as “ al-Bashir Vanguard” , “Popular Defense Forces”, and the “Bashir Eagles”   in Darfur ,which  Al-Bashir himself supervised for the purpose of defending his regime against any attempt of a coup d ‘état.

There were also militias founded by the Muslim Brotherhood, such as its “Shadow Battalions”, overseen by Ali Osman Taha. Taha had threatened to use these battalions to bring to an end the popular revolution in 2019, sowing confusion on the political and security scene until the revolution succeeded in bringing down the regime in April 2019. The PEF may be the newer, updated version of these battalions, as it is known Islamist forces wish to revive these organizations once more, and use them in their pursuit of regaining power.

Resurgence of Islamist activity: Although Al-Sawarmi declared in the conference that the PEF is not affiliated to any political or religious party, Sudanese sources indicate that he was a member of the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP), and that the retired officers are affiliated to the Islamic Movement, which remained in power throughout the rule of Omar al-Bashir. This indicates that the Islamist movement as a whole, and the NCP, play a significant role in supporting and financing this organization. It is noteworthy that both have been overtly active throughout Sudan lately. 

Islamists organized popular demonstrations and protests at the instigation of the head of the dissolved NCP, Ibrahim Ghandour, on 25 October and during the first week of November. They warned General Al-Burhan not to enter into an agreement with the  civilian political forces based on the constitutional document put forward by the Bar Association as a basis for the resolution of the country’s current political crisis.

Confronting warnings from the military: It is notable that the announcement of the establishment of the PEF followed recent declarations by General  Abdelfattah al-Burhan, Chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council and Commander of the Army, in a recent speech north of Khartoum, in which he clearly warned the Islamists and the dissolved NCP  against attempting to return to power by allying with the army. He also clearly warned them against meddling in the affairs of the military. 

Al-Burhan’s statements came in response to demand that he not conclude any agreements with the Central Council of FFC to resolve the country’s current political crisis. Although Al-Sawarmi (the PEF’s leader) declared that they had no intention of clashing with the military, his reference to “thousands of soldiers and fighters”, and to seeking political gains and defending the interests of some Sudanese governorates suggest otherwise, and indicates that the PEF, if allowed to operate, would inevitably clash with the army.

Lack of cohesive vision in the PEF: The objectives declared at the press conference announcing the PEF’s establishment were vague and contradictory. Al-Sawarmi declared the PEF to be a national, political, cultural and military organization, under the slogan “one army… one people.” This contradicts that it is in fact a parallel force to the military, and displays a lack of vision, and misalignment of objectives on which the PEF is based. Moreover, there is a lack of specific information on the number of troops or soldiers affiliated with the organization, and its sources of funding.

Discord between the military and the remnants of the former regime: 

The PEF announcement reflects the escalation of disagreement between the military and the former regime’s Islamist supporters, especially after General Al-Burhan used a strongly