RSF commander ‘Jalha’ killed under unclear circumstances
January 28, 2025 (KHARTOUM) – A senior commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Rahmtalla al-Mahdi, known as “Jalha,” and his brother were killed on Tuesday, with conflicting reports emerging about the circumstances of their deaths.
RSF-affiliated social media accounts mourned Jalha’s death but offered few details, some saying he was killed in battle. Others claimed he died “advancing, not retreating.”
However, multiple sources told Sudan Tribune that Jalha was killed in an airstrike east of Khartoum. The RSF could not be immediately reached for comment.
He led the “Brave of Kordofan Movement,” which was formed in 2020. This group operates primarily in West Kordofan and draws its members largely from the Misseriya tribe.
After returning from Libya, he joined the RSF in September 2023, where he had been fighting alongside forces loyal to Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar.
Jalha was known for frequently posting videos online in which he vowed to defeat what he called the “remnants” of the former regime.
“General Jalha was martyred in today’s battle, advancing, not retreating,” Omar Jibril, an RSF field commander, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Another RSF source told Sudan Tribune that the commander was killed in a drone strike targeting his convoy in the “Green Valley” area of the East Nile locality. Sudan Tribune could not independently verify these accounts.
Fighting has intensified in Khartoum in recent days. The Sudanese army recently announced it had broken a long-standing siege of its General Command headquarters in central Khartoum and the Signal Corps base, giving it control of much of the Khartoum Bahri district.