RSF commander defects with fighters to Sudanese army in Omdurman

September 25, 2026 (KHARTOUM) – A commander from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) defected to the Sudanese army on Friday along with 50 fighters in Omdurman, marking the latest in a series of cross-line defections.

Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu arrived in the sister city of the capital, Khartoum, with five armed vehicles and was received by senior military and intelligence officers, the army said.

Speaking to reporters, Wahidu said he broke away from the paramilitary group over what he described as widespread abuses within its ranks, urging other fighters to lay down their weapons and join the regular military.

“There is no cause worth continuing to fight for,” Wahidu said.

The RSF could not immediately be reached for comment on the defection.

The development follows the defection in late August of roughly 200 RSF combatants led by the force’s former intelligence head in North Kordofan state, Abu Bakr Hamouda Dahlob.

Several other units surrendered to army lines in Northern State across July and August, while commanders Al-Nur al-Gubba and Ali Rizqallah, known as “Savanna”, joined the military earlier this year.

Many recent defectors belong to the Mahamid clan, led by tribal chief Musa Hilal, a former militia leader who broke with the RSF and relocated from North Darfur to army-controlled zones in February.

The war between the army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 over plans to integrate the paramilitary into the military, triggering mass displacement, localized famine, and widespread civilian suffering across the country.