Dissident RSF commander Savannah arrives in Khartoum
May 15, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Dissident Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Ali Rizqallah, widely known as “Savannah,” arrived in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Friday from the Red Sea port city of Port Sudan.
Savannah officially announced his defection from the RSF on May 11, launching scathing criticism against the paramilitary group’s leadership.
At the time, Savannah did not disclose his next destination but emphasized that he would work toward peace and align himself with the choice of the Sudanese people.
Savannah is the leader of an armed movement that signed a peace agreement with the ousted regime of President Omar al-Bashir in 2013, under which he was granted the rank of lieutenant colonel in the army. However, he later rebelled against the authorities, announcing his alignment with the Revolutionary Awakening Council founded by tribal leader Musa Hilal.
A leader from the Sudanese Revolutionary Awakening Council told Sudan Tribune that Savannah arrived in Khartoum State on Friday morning from Port Sudan, where he had landed following a trip from India.
The source stated that the dissident commander is currently with military intelligence, which is making arrangements to present him to the media.
Meanwhile, informed sources said the RSF has arrested dozens of members from the 296 Group, which Savannah commands within the paramilitary force, detaining them in the notorious Dagris prison in Nyala.
The sources added that the group led by Savannah withdrew from its defensive positions in the towns of Al-Nuhud and Al-Khowei in West Kordofan State, as well as in the areas of Umm Samima and Abu Qa’ood in North Kordofan, following his official announcement of defection, and headed toward Nyala in South Darfur State.
The sources noted that the retreating convoy was attacked by drones, believed to belong to the RSF, near the Manawashi area in South Darfur State, resulting in casualties and the destruction of several combat vehicles.
Rizqallah was arrested in 2017 alongside Revolutionary Awakening Council leader Musa Hilal and faced a military trial that ended with his dismissal from the army and the stripping of his rank.
Following the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, Savannah joined the RSF after the paramilitary group released him from prison, where he had been awaiting trial on murder charges.
Savannah was granted the rank of brigadier general in the RSF and enjoyed widespread influence in East Darfur. He played a prominent role in recruiting foreign fighters from South Sudan, Chad, and Niger, and led forces in attacks on Al-Nuhud and Al-Khowei localities in West Kordofan.