The Federal Alliance of East Sudan (FAES) (Arabic: التحالف الفيدرالي لشرق السودان, romanized: altahaluf alfidraliu lisharq alsuwdan) is a splinter group of the largely defunct Eastern Front,[1][2] a military coalition composed of the Beja Congress and the Rashaida Free Lions primarily formed due to the inability to address their regional concerns through peaceful means.
[3] Chronic poverty and marginalization in East Sudan,[4] exacerbated by neglect from the central government, have led to the formation of rebel groups such as FAES, who advocate for equal development opportunities and economic redistribution.
[4] Under the agreement, the Eastern Front would be given three high-ranking positions in Khartoum and also ten legislative seats in each of the three states in East Sudan: Kassala, Al-Qadarif, and Red Sea.
[2] However, FAES claims that the peace agreement only normalizes bilateral relations between Sudan and Eritrea without tackling the problems and concerns of the Eastern Sudanese people or promoting economic development within the region.
[1] Prior to the merger deal, eight months ago, both rebel groups had engaged in joint military operations against the Sudanese government, receiving backing from Eritrea at the time.