The RSF-affiliated civil administration in South and East Darfur has launched what it calls a census of civil servants, aiming to restructure government institutions.
Sources said that officials in East Darfur instructed department heads and local committees to carry out the count across public offices.
They said the new administration faces major obstacles, including unpaid salaries, staff refusals to cooperate, and the widespread departure of employees.
In South Darfur, authorities have already completed a similar process covering ministries, departments, and local government bodies.
The exercise is intended to redistribute staff under a new work plan, reshaping public services in a region devastated by war.
Participation was reportedly higher in local offices, while state-level ministries recorded much lower turnout, highlighting deep institutional breakdown.
Sources said official records listed about 29,000 civil servants in South Darfur in 2018, compared with fewer than 6,000 now registered.
They added that most public employees fled after fighting engulfed the state, either through internal displacement or by crossing borders.
The administration has begun appointing new officials and plans further recruitment in February.
