Senior RSF commander defects with fighters and vehicles, accusing Hemetti of nepotism
Siddiq Mohammed Abdelrahman Ander, commander of the Rapid Support Forces’ 15th group, says he’s joined Sudan’s national army with about 200 fighters and 40 vehicles, accusing RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of running the force through favoritism.
Sudan’s war has taken a notable turn with the public defection of a senior commander from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to the national army. Siddiq Mohammed Abdelrahman Ander, described as commander of the RSF’s 15th group, announced on social media that he and his men were switching sides to the Sudanese Armed Forces.
By his own account, Ander crossed over with roughly 200 fighters and about 40 vehicles. In a conflict where pickup trucks fitted with heavy weapons often decide local battles, that many vehicles matter on the ground, especially if they are armed. The figures he cites have not been independently confirmed, but even the claim of a group‑sized defection suggests real pressure on RSF cohesion.
Ander accused RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemetti, of nepotism. That allegation goes to the core of how the RSF is organized. The force grew out of Darfur’s Janjaweed militias and has long relied on personal and family networks. Complaints that promotions, resources or choice assignments favor relatives and insiders are likely to resonate among fighters who feel they have carried heavy risks without comparable benefit.
For RSF rank‑and‑file, seeing a trusted commander move to the other side forces a choice. Many men joined for pay, protection or because they were already in armed groups. They now have to decide whether to remain in a force whose leader is accused from within of favoritism, or attempt their own deals with the army.
The Sudanese Armed Forces face their own test. Bringing in an entire RSF group, if that proceeds as Ander describes, raises issues from vetting past abuses to fitting former enemies into existing chains of command.
On the battlefield, even limited defections can carry weight if they occur on key fronts. The army reports that in recent days it has secured Umm Ushayrah and surrounding towns, reducing an RSF salient west of Barah, and advanced to capture Jabal Abu Sunun, with fighting reported near Umm Kuraydim and to the west of El Obeid. It’s not clear from available reporting where Ander’s unit was operating, but any RSF loss of experienced commanders and vehicles while the army is pressing around strategic towns would help tilt momentum.
Politically, the defection undercuts Hemetti’s efforts to cast the RSF as a national force representing marginalized communities against a corrupt military elite. Being accused of nepotism by a senior subordinate bolsters army talking points that the RSF is a personal power base rather than a reform project.
For civilians in Darfur, Khartoum and Kordofan, internal RSF fractures could weaken the group’s grip on some areas. They also risk producing more chaotic violence if units break away without clear new command structures.
What happens next will be measured in copycat moves and propaganda. Signs to watch include whether other RSF commanders echo Ander’s grievances or follow him to the army, how prominently the Sudanese military showcases his defection, and whether RSF forces around El Obeid and in Darfur show any disorder or reshuffling in the weeks ahead.
Sources
- OSINT