Sudanese defector commander vows to fight Rapid Support Forces in Kordofan and Darfur
May 16, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Ali Rizqallah “Al-Savana”, a defected commander from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), announced on Saturday his intention to fight alongside the army in the Kordofan region and advance toward Um Dafug in southern Darfur.
Rizqallah was a prominent field commander in the RSF before his defection. He previously led forces to capture sites in North Darfur, then seized El Nuhud and reinforced the RSF presence in West Kordofan.
Speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Saturday, a day after his arrival in the capital, Rizqallah said he would lead combat operations alongside the army and allied forces to drive the RSF out of Kordofan and Darfur.
The defected commander announced he had officially joined the army, which he described as the backbone of the country. He added that his forces would contribute to the reclamation of territory.
Rizqallah appeared at the press conference wearing a Sudanese Armed Forces uniform with the rank of brigadier general.
A military court stripped Rizqallah of his rank and dismissed him from the armed forces in 2021. The rank had been granted to him under a 2013 peace agreement with the administration of ousted President Omer al-Bashir.
The commander said RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemetti, was injured in a previous strike outside the military headquarters in Khartoum.
Rizqallah alleged that Hemetti no longer holds actual decision-making power, claiming that foreign parties control the paramilitary group and that Hemetti would face assassination if he deviated from their directives.
He accused the RSF of systematically liquidating senior internal figures to advance specific agendas. He said prominent commanders, including Jalha, Abdallah Hussein, and Hamid Ali Abu Bakr, were killed by drone strikes.
Rizqallah also said that RSF commanders Osman Hamid “Omaliat” and Essam Saleh Fadhil are currently under house arrest in the United Arab Emirates.
Osman Hamid, a former Sudanese army general, serves as the RSF head of operations but has largely disappeared from public view since the war began. Essam Saleh Fadhil is a top RSF commander who oversaw the group’s internal disciplinary campaigns in Khartoum.
Regarding the RSF’s external relations, Rizqallah identified former Sudanese Vice President Hasabo Mohamed Abdel Rahman as the primary adviser and coordinator between the RSF and the UAE.
He alleged that Emirati support shifted toward trying to partition the Darfur and Kordofan regions after failing to seize control of the entire Sudanese state.
Rizqallah detailed his exit from RSF-controlled areas in Darfur, stating that he travelled through El Daein in East Darfur under an official movement order approved by the RSF leadership. He travelled to South Sudan, then to India, before returning to Khartoum.
He dismissed RSF media statements about his forces, saying that all his troops are currently in areas controlled by the Sudanese army.
The defected commander also stated that thousands of civilians and military personnel detained in Digrais prison in Nyala, South Darfur, face deteriorating health conditions and systematic liquidations.