Senior RSF Commander Defects, Alleging Paramilitary Operates as Family Dynasty

Senior commander Siddiq Ander has announced his defection from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to exclusive video footage obtained by Al Jazeera and published Friday.

In the footage, Ander accuses relatives of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, of monopolizing the group’s finances, weaponry, troop deployments, and military promotions. He described the organization as a family-run enterprise that brooks no internal dissent.

“It has become clear to us beyond any doubt that we were serving a purely family-based project controlled by Hemedti’s relatives in every aspect—money, weapons, fighters’ movements, and the granting of ranks,” Ander stated. “Anyone who speaks out and tells the whole truth faces expulsion, imprisonment, or a hidden death.”

Hemedti’s brother, Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, currently serves as the RSF’s deputy commander.

Wave of High-Profile Defections

Ander’s departure follows a series of significant defections this year, several involving commanders leaving with substantial numbers of fighters and equipment.

On October 8, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Azraq al-Fanjari announced he was leaving the RSF along with 300 officers and soldiers and 30 military vehicles. Al-Fanjari urged other fighters to abandon the group, expressing regret over the suffering inflicted by the war.

His announcement came weeks after the September 25 defection of Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu, who crossed into Omdurman—across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum—to join the rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with 50 fighters, according to The Sudan Tribune. Al-Wahidu cited internal abuses as his motivation for leaving.

Earlier, in May, Brigadier Ali Rizqallah, known as Savannah, announced his departure. In April, Major General al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as al-Qubba, defected to the SAF and was publicly welcomed by Sudanese military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The Sudan Tribune reported that al-Qubba’s exit stemmed from disagreements over military appointments within the RSF leadership.

Conflict Enters Second Year Amid Mounting Civilian Toll

Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between the army and the RSF, particularly over plans to integrate the paramilitary group into the regular military. The conflict has since displaced approximately 13 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine.

The latest defections coincide with an escalation in drone warfare by both sides, resulting in rising civilian casualties. On October 26, strikes hit a market and residential area in Nyala, an RSF-held city in South Darfur.

Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights group, reported more than 100 deaths, though other medical organizations have recorded lower figures. The United Nations has stated that drone strikes have become the leading cause of civilian deaths in the conflict.

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