Sudan RSF commander defects from Hemedti’s forces
Senior commander Siddiq Ander says he has defected from Sudan‘s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to exclusive video footage obtained by Al Jazeera.
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he → defect → Jazeera
The footage, published on Friday, shows Ander accusing relatives of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti”, of tightly controlling the group’s finances, weapons, troop movements and military promotions.
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Ander → publish → finances
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Ander’s exit follows a string of high-profile defections this year, with some commanders leaving alongside hundreds of fighters.
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commanders → leave → fighters
“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 said.
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Ander → become → ranks
“Anyone who speaks out and tells the whole truth faces expulsion, imprisonment or a hidden death.”
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who → speak → expulsion
Hemedti’s brother, Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, serves as the RSF deputy commander.
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brother → serve → commander
Senior commanders break ranks
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commanders → break → ranks
A wave of defections has seen several senior RSF commanders leave the group this year, including Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Azraq al-Fanjari, who announced on October 8 that he was leaving, along with 300 officers and soldiers and 30 military vehicles.
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he → see → officers
Al-Fanjari also urged other fighters to abandon the RSF, expressing regret over the suffering caused by the war.
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Fanjari → urge → war
His announcement came after the September 25 defection of Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu, who joined the enemy Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) with 50 fighters in Omdurman, across the Nile from the capital, Khartoum, according to The Sudan Tribune.
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who → come → Tribune
Al-Wahidu cited abuses within the RSF as his reason for leaving.
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Wahidu → cite → leaving
Earlier, in May, Brigadier Ali Rizqallah, known as Savannah, announced his departure.
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Rizqallah → know → departure
Yet another senior commander, Major General al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as al-Qubba, joined the SAF in April and was publicly welcomed by Sudanese leader and military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
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commander → know → Burhan
Al-Qubba’s departure followed disagreements over military appointments within the RSF leadership, the Tribune reported.
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Tribune → follow → leadership
Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 after a power struggle between the army and the RSF, including disagreements over plans to integrate the paramilitary group into the regular military.
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war → erupt → military
The conflict has since displaced about 13 million people and pushed parts of the country into famine.
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conflict → displace → famine
The latest defections come as both sides increasingly use drones in attacks that have caused mounting civilian casualties.
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that → come → casualties
On October 26, strikes hit a market and residential area in Nyala, an RSF-controlled city in South Darfur.
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strikes → hit → Darfur
Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights group, reported more than 100 deaths, although other medical organisations recorded lower figures.
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organisations → report → figures
The United Nations says drone strikes have become the leading cause of civilian deaths in Sudan’s war.
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strikes → say → war
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