Popular Defence Forces

The Popular Defense Forces (PDF, قوات الدفاع الشعبي) are a Sudanese paramilitary force, the formulation of the ‘Popular Defence’ policy in Sudan goes back to 1985 after an attack on the village of al-Gardud in Kordofan state in July 1985, Following the attack, a government delegation to the area led by Minister of Defence Major General Burma Fadlallah Nasir was presented with a choice by native administration leaders: either provide security for the Arab Baggara communities of South Darfur and South Kordofan, or these communities would request such guarantees from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and de facto join the rebellion. Unable to redeploy the demoralized and overstretched military from the South, the delegation made a decision—without the authorization of the national Constituent Assembly—to arm the Baggara. Truckloads of ammunition and light weapons, mostly AK-47s and G3 rifles, were distributed directly to members of allied tribes, specifically the Rizeigat and the Misseriya Humr, through native administrative structures and leaders.

History
In 1989 the "Popular Defense Forces" were established officially under the Popular Defense Forces Act of 1989, it was also part of the Sudanese Armed Forces.

In 2004, the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress estimated that the Popular Defence Forces consisted of 10,000 active members, with 85,000 reserves. It had been deployed alongside regular army units against various rebel groups.

In 2020, rumors were circulating that the Sudanese Armed Forces had absorbed the former PDF. However, the SAF instead stated that that the PDF had been dissolved and its headquarters seized. During the 2023 War in Sudan, a reorganised PDF under Kafi Tayara fought alongside the Army in South Kordofan against the SPLM-N and the Rapid Support Forces.

Organization
The force had close links with the National Islamic Front associated with former president Omar al-Bashir. The PDF was originally formed as a dedicated Islamist militia. In 2015, the PDF largely operated as a reserve force for the Sudanese Armed Forces. Upon its foundation in 1989, several tribal militias throughout Sudan were integrated into the PDF, including the Messiria tribe's murahiliin, the Rizeigat tribe's fursan, and the Fertit Army of Peace. It continued to absorb more militias over its existence, such as the Hawazma ethnic militia that fought alongside the SAF in the Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.