Inside the RSF’s unraveling

In Sudan, as military and political pressure mounts on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), defections and shifting loyalties have begun spreading through its ranks, signaling fractures within the alliances that emerged after the outbreak of war. Following the high-profile defection of commander Abu Aqla Keikel in late 2024, a significant blow to the RSF in Sudan’s central Gezira State, several new figures have recently joined the growing list of commanders breaking away from the force. Among them are commander Ali Rizqallah, known as “Savana,” and field commander Al-Nour Qubba in Darfur, both of whom officially announced that they had joined the Sudanese army.

This recent defections of field commanders and figures with tribal and military influence have raised questions about the cohesion of the RSF’s internal structure and the extent to which these shifts could alter the course of the war in Sudan.

They have also exposed intensifying internal disputes and power struggles within the RSF at a time when military and tribal alliances are rapidly shifting as the war drags on.

In Darfur, the defections appear particularly complex because tribal dynamics are deeply intertwined with military ones. After RSF forces stormed the area of Musteriha in North Darfur last February — the traditional stronghold of Musa Hilal, head of the Revolutionary Awakening Council — the name of field commander Al-Nour Qubba emerged among those defecting from the RSF. Qubba belongs to the Mahamid group led by Hilal, and reports pointed to escalating tensions between him and influential circles within the RSF.

The developments in Musteriha led to multiple deaths among the Mahamid and revived an old conflict between RSF leaders associated with the Mahariya subclan and tribal and military leaders in North Darfur. The area has long been tied to Musa Hilal’s influence. Hilal had previously entered into a bitter conflict with RSF leadership under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and his brother Abdel Rahim Dagalo, despite all of them belonging to the widely spread Rizeigat tribe in Darfur.

Al-Nour Qubba, who announced his alignment with the army in late April, was considered one of the RSF’s most prominent commanders and had played a major role alongside Hemedti in battles against the army throughout the war. He also played an important role in recruitment efforts and military expansion in North Darfur, relying on his extensive tribal networks.

Less than a month after Quba’s defection, another commander, Ali Rizqallah “Savanna,” also announced his departure from the RSF in a recorded video. On May 16, he held a press conference in Khartoum where he explained the reasons behind his decision and officially declared his participation in fighting alongside the army.

In an earlier audio recording, Savanna spoke about unequal treatment within the RSF, saying that influence and access to resources depended largely on proximity to the top leadership. He said fighters under his command had struggled to secure medical treatment for their wounded outside Sudan and faced shortages of vehicles, supplies, and fuel. His force, known as Unit 296, had been deployed in West Kordofan after being withdrawn from the El Fasher front, one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the current war.

In response to these developments, the RSF attempted to contain signs of internal division by releasing video and audio recordings of other commanders from the same unit reaffirming their loyalty to the force and their commitment to continue fighting while emphasizing the sacrifices they had made during the war.

Savanna’s relationship with the RSF has long been complicated. In 2017, he was arrested alongside Musa Hilal by RSF forces and remained detained until the current war broke out. After his release, he later joined groups fighting alongside the RSF.

He has since become one of the most prominent field commanders associated with the RSF during the war, particularly in Darfur and western Sudan, and is regarded as an influential figure among tribal-based fighting groups in the region.

Furthermore, the defection of Abu Aqla Keikel, commander of the Sudan Shield Forces, in October 2024 was among the most consequential turning points of the war because of his military and social influence in Gezira State.

After becoming closely associated with the RSF during advanced stages of the conflict, Keikel later announced his support for the Sudanese army in what was widely seen as a political and military blow to the RSF outside Darfur. The move carried particular weight because of his influence among local armed groups and his symbolic importance in areas that had witnessed intense clashes between the army and the RSF, especially in Gezira.

In its response to these developments, the RSF downplayed Savanna’s defection and described him as a “traitor” in a video showing soldiers it said had refused to defect with him. The force adopted a similar position after Keikel joined the army, an event that was followed by retaliatory campaigns targeting the social base associated with him in eastern Gezira State.

Meanwhile, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, issued a decision stripping Qubba of his rank of major general and forcing him into retirement after accusing him of desertion and coordination with the Sudanese army. According to media reports, Hemedti approved a field court ruling demoting Qubba from major general to ordinary soldier, terminating his military service, and sentencing him to death in absentia.

The Sudanese army, for its part, welcomed Qubba’s defection. During an official reception held in his honor, SAF commander and Sovereign Council head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said the doors remained open to anyone wishing to lay down arms and join the path of national reconstruction.

Darfur regional governor Minni Arko Minnawi described state-building as requiring wisdom, compromise, and the prioritization of national interest in order to move toward a future worthy of the sacrifices made by Sudanese people. Minnawi welcomed Al-Nour Qubba and everyone who chose to abandon arms and return to what he called “the embrace of the homeland.” Musa Hilal also praised what he described as Quba’s “courageous step” in joining the army to defend the country.

The current defections do not appear to be isolated personal decisions. Rather, they reflect a deeper crisis within the RSF structure tied to struggles over influence between field commanders and the central leadership, as well as tribal and regional disputes that have intensified over the course of the war, particularly after RSF violations in Musteriha, Musa Hilal’s stronghold.

These incidents also represent an extremely sensitive development for the future of the force, not only from a military standpoint, but also in terms of the political and tribal cohesion on which it was built from the outset. The RSF does not rely solely on a conventional military structure; rather, it is heavily sustained by a network of tribal alliances, personal loyalties, and economic interests, making any internal fracture far more dangerous and consequential.

The defection of figures such as Ali Rizqallah Savanna and Al-Nour Qubba carries implications that go beyond the departure of individual fighters or field commanders. It points to growing tensions within the centers of power shaped by the war, particularly as control weakens on some fronts and military pressure intensifies. The reemergence of old tensions, especially those tied to Musa Hilal’s camp, also raises the possibility of alliances forged over years of conflict beginning to unravel.

Assessments suggest that the RSF’s declining control in certain areas, combined with the military blows it has sustained, has pushed some local commanders to reconsider their positions, whether by joining the army or adopting more independent stances.

Tribal calculations have also played a major role in these shifts, especially in Darfur, where armed loyalties are often tied more closely to social and tribal networks than to formal military structures.

The latest defections demonstrate that the war in Sudan has evolved beyond a direct battle between the army and the RSF. It has become a struggle over alliances and loyalties within the armed factions themselves.

As military operations continue and control over territory keeps shifting, further defections and realignments are expected to shape the coming phase of the conflict, particularly if military and political pressure on the RSF continues. Under these conditions, the map of loyalties within the force appears more fragile than ever, amid growing signs that the war is entering a new stage defined by the restructuring of armed alliances.