A senior commander has broken away from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, citing deep-seated nepotism within the leadership, according to exclusive video footage obtained on Friday.
Siddiq Ander stated in the recording that relatives of RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, exercise total control over the armed group. He alleged that leadership relatives tightly manage financial assets, weaponry, troop movements, and military promotions.
Ander warned that any members who speak out and tell the whole truth face expulsion, imprisonment, or a hidden death. Hemedti’s brother, Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, serves as the deputy commander of the paramilitary organisation.
Ander is the latest high-ranking figure to leave the RSF during a wave of defections this year. Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Azraq al-Fanjari announced his departure on October 8, taking with him 300 officers and soldiers alongside 30 military vehicles.
Al-Fanjari publicly urged other combatants to abandon the ranks and expressed regret over the suffering inflicted by the war. His exit followed the September 25 departure of Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu, who crossed over to join the rival Sudanese Armed Forces in Omdurman alongside 50 fighters, citing internal abuses.
Brigadier Ali Rizqallah, known as Savannah, left the paramilitary group in May. Earlier, in April, Major General al-Nour Ahmed Adam defected to the regular army after disputes concerning military appointments.
The nationwide conflict ignited in April 2023 following a bitter power struggle between the army and the RSF, sparked by disagreements over plans to integrate the paramilitary forces into the regular military. The protracted fighting has displaced approximately 13 million people and driven regions of the country into famine.
The departures coincide with an escalation in drone attacks by both warring sides, which have driven rising civilian casualties. Strikes on October 26 hit a market and residential district in Nyala, an RSF-controlled city located in South Darfur.
The Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers documented over 100 fatalities from the Nyala strikes, though various medical organisations recorded lower tolls. The United Nations reports that drone attacks have now emerged as the primary cause of civilian deaths in the ongoing war.
