RSF commander ‘El Safana’ announces defection ‘to the Sudanese people’

RSF commander Ali Rizqallah, better known by his nom de guerre ‘El Safana’, announced on Monday that he has defected from the paramilitary force, in the latest sign of strains within the group as Sudan’s civil war grinds on.

In a video statement via social media, the field commander says he is abandoning the RSF and “aligning himself with the Sudanese people”, while denying reports that he had joined the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Rizqallah offered little detail about the reasons for his departure. “We are neither advocates of war nor advocates of peace,” he said cryptically, adding only that “more is to come”.

Rumours of his defection have circulated for weeks, particularly after the departure in April of El Nur El Qubba, another senior RSF figure. At the time, speculation spread that El Safana too had crossed over to the army, though he publicly denied it.

In an earlier audio recording, El Safana defended El Qubba’s decision to leave the RSF, saying the commander had repeatedly sought meetings with the group’s leadership but had instead been fobbed off with junior officers.

He also complained of unequal treatment within the RSF’s ranks, alleging that access to resources and influence depended largely on proximity to the leadership. Fighters from his faction, he said, had struggled to secure medical treatment abroad for their wounded, while also facing shortages of vehicles and fuel.

El Safana’s Unit 296 had been operating in West Kordofan after redeploying from the El Fasher front, one of the war’s most fiercely contested theatres.

The RSF has since sought to contain signs of fragmentation by releasing videos and audio recordings of other commanders from the unit reaffirming their loyalty to the paramilitary force and stressing the sacrifices they had made during the conflict.

El Safana himself has a long and complicated history with the RSF. In 2017 he was arrested alongside Musa Hilal, the tribal leader and former Janjaweed commander, by RSF forces. He remained in detention until the outbreak of the current war, when he was released and later joined formations fighting alongside the RSF.

Recent events around the town of Misterei—regarded as a stronghold of Hilal and his Revolutionary Awakening Council—appear to have deepened turmoil within RSF ranks. Hilal has since moved into territory controlled by the army, followed by El Nur El Qubba. Circles close to Hilal have also circulated the names of other commanders said to be preparing to abandon the RSF.

Several defectors have declared their intention to return to Darfur to fight against the paramilitary group they once served.