Sudan’s JEM accuses former official of buying looted vehicles from RSF
January 3, 2026 (PORT SUDAN) – The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), led by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, on Saturday accused former leader Suleiman Sandal of using funds looted from El Fasher to purchase military vehicles from Rapid Support Forces (RSF) elements.
Gibril Ibrahim dismissed Suleiman Sandal from his position as the movement’s political secretary in August 2023, along with other leaders. Those officials quickly convened an extraordinary conference to remove Ibrahim from his post and subsequently formed an armed organization under the same name.
Sandal allied himself with the RSF and was appointed interior minister in its parallel government.
JEM said in a statement that Suleiman Sandal Haqqar sent money looted from the citizens of El Fasher to repurchase vehicles that RSF members had disposed of in local markets.
The movement noted that these vehicles were sold by RSF elements in markets after the group suffered defeats in Abu Qamra and Ambara, in the far northwest of North Darfur state, at the hands of the army and the Joint Forces.
JEM is a prominent component of the Joint Forces fighting alongside the army against the RSF, with its mobile units currently deployed in Kordofan and western North Darfur.
The RSF and its allies last week launched an attack on the areas of Abu Qamra, Ambara, and Karnoi. These attacks have created sharp divisions within the Zaghawa tribe, as some groups from the tribe are fighting alongside the army while others side with the RSF.
The statement said the purpose of repurchasing the vehicles was to falsely claim they were captured from the Joint Forces, in a desperate attempt to manufacture a fake victory and mislead public opinion.
It added that the RSF’s reliance on using money and fabricated plays would not change the reality of its defeat.
The RSF seized control of El Fasher on October 26 following a land siege and continuous fighting for a year and a half, while some army and Joint Forces leaders withdrew from the city hours before it fell.