The African Union said on Wednesday it would not recognise a "so-called parallel government" in Sudan, urging its members to follow suit.

A bitter two-year civil war in Sudan has pitted the government against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which announced it was forming a government and appointed a prime minister on Saturday.

The AU's Peace and Security Council "called on all AU Member States and the international community to reject the fragmentation of Sudan and not recognise the so-called "parallel government" which has serious consequences on the peace efforts and the existential future of the country," it said in a statement.

Sudan's military-backed government has denounced the RSF's formation of a parallel administration, calling it a “phantom government”.

The RSF controls much of western Sudan, including the vast Darfur region and several other areas, but is being pushed back from central Sudan by the army, which has recently regained control of the capital, Khartoum.