RSF smuggled family of defected commander Savana from Saudi Arabia to Nyala, relatives say

May 23, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leaders were involved in smuggling the wife and children of commander Ali Rizqallah, known as “Savana,” from Saudi Arabia to Nyala in South Darfur via Ethiopia, family sources said on Saturday.

On May 15, Savana arrived in the capital, Khartoum, days after announcing his defection from the RSF. He declared his intention to participate in combat alongside the Sudanese army in Kordofan and Darfur.

Family members told Sudan Tribune that they possess documents proving the intervention of RSF commanders in smuggling Savana’s wife and children from Saudi Arabia by granting them emergency visas to enter Ethiopia before transporting them to Nyala.

They noted that the relocation process involved enticing the wife with a large sum of money to induce her to leave Saudi Arabia and arranging travel for her and the children to Addis Ababa.

The sources added that the RSF destroyed three houses owned by Savana in the city of Ed Daein in East Darfur state, two of which were located in the Al-Matar neighbourhood.

Rizqallah was one of the most prominent field commanders in the RSF before his defection. He previously led forces to seize positions in North Darfur, then took control of En Nahud and reinforced the RSF presence in West Kordofan.

Savana’s daughter, Shaqra, published a video on social media alongside a woman wearing a niqab whom she identified as her mother. Shaqra stated that they had left the city of Jeddah for the Ugandan capital, Kampala, while also disowning her father and appealing to the RSF commander to protect her family.