France, July 30 -- The African Union has rejected a move by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to form a rival government, calling it a threat to peace and national unity.

The RSF announced the creation of a 15-member "government of peace and unity" on Saturday, naming Mohamed Hassan al-Ta'ayshi as prime minister and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, as head of a new presidential council.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Nyala, in the Darfur region. Hemedti's deputy will be the head of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, one of Sudan's largest rebel groups.

In a statement on Wednesday, the African Union's Peace and Security Council urged member states and the international communi...