The Third Front, known as Tamazuj, is a claimed rebel group based in the Darfur and Kordofan regions of Sudan.
The word tamazuj has been translated from a South Sudanese Arabic word meaning "blend" .[1] [2]
Apparently formed during the leadup to the Juba Peace Agreement for the purpose of signing the agreement as a rebel group, the Third Front/Tamazuj was widely accused of being inserted into the process by the government of Sudan as a false rebel group. It claimed to be a former part of the SPLM-N rebel group, but this was denied by both major factions of that group. A UN investigation found that the Third Front / Tamazuj was possibly led by Arab militiamen who had served under Riek Machar in both the Second Sudanese Civil War (as part of the SPLA) and the South Sudanese Civil War (as part of the SPLA-IO), having spent the time between those two wars as part of the Popular Defence Forces (PDF), a paramilitary group under the government of Sudan. They were said to have been allowed to join the peace process at Machar's urging.[3]
Tamazuj was one of the signatories to the Juba Peace Agreement signed in October 2020,[4] after which it grew quickly in strength and power, recruiting new fighters from Darfur and opening offices across Sudan. In 2021, they won two seats in the legislative council, including the head of a parliamentary committee and a commission.[5]
On August 17, 2023, Tamazuj declared its formal alliance with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the ongoing conflict against the Sudanese Armed Forces.[6] On March 12, 2023, Tamazuj stormed a police station in Khartoum, believing the security forces there assaulted one of their leaders. According to Tamazuj, a group of police officers severely beat the general and broke his leg. In retaliation, the group surrounded the station using one armed and eight small vehicles while firing air guns. According to the Sudan Tribune, Tamazuj has more than agreed troops in Khartoum. The incident is part of a wave of similar occurrences in the capital.[7]