In a video obtained by Al Jazeera, Maj. Gen. Siddiq Ander says he has left the Rapid Support Forces and urged his fighters to join the army. He is the latest in a series of commanders to break ranks this year.
A senior commander of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Siddiq Ander, says he has defected from the paramilitary group, according to exclusive video footage published by Al Jazeera on 30 October.
In the video, Ander accuses relatives of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, of tightly controlling the group. "It has become clear to us beyond any doubt that we were serving a purely family-based project controlled by Hemedti's relatives in every aspect, money, weapons, fighters' movements and the granting of ranks," he said. "Anyone who speaks out and tells the whole truth faces expulsion, imprisonment or a hidden death."
Sudanese outlets identified him as Maj. Gen. Siddiq Mohammed Abdul Rahman Ander, the RSF's official for mobilisation and recruitment and commander of its Group 15, and as head of the Sudan Liberation Forces Gathering for Reform and Development. In the video he called on his forces and comrades to join the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) immediately, Sudanese Net reported. He said that when the war began on 15 April 2023 he believed he was fighting for an equal Sudan free of marginalisation.
Al Jazeera did not report a response from the RSF leadership, and the claims made in the video have not been independently verified. The RSF's deputy commander is Hemedti's brother, Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo.
A pattern of departures
Ander's exit follows several high-profile defections this year, according to Al Jazeera. Lt. Col. Mohammed Azraq al-Fanjari announced on 8 October that he was leaving with 300 officers and soldiers and 30 vehicles. Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu joined the army with 50 fighters in Omdurman on 25 September. Brig. Ali Rizqallah, known as Savannah, left in May. In April, Maj. Gen. al-Nour Ahmed Adam, known as al-Qubba, joined the SAF and was publicly welcomed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Defection does not settle questions of accountability. On 26 October the UK sanctioned al-Qubba, saying he played a prominent role in besieging and attacking El Fasher, months after he had changed sides.
Analysis: Army-aligned media have presented the defections as evidence that the RSF is unravelling, and allegations of family control strike at the RSF's claim to lead a broad, inclusive Tasis coalition. Still, the RSF and its allies continue to hold most of Darfur and West Kordofan and to press offensives in Kordofan and Blue Nile. How many fighters actually follow Ander will be a better guide to the impact of his departure than the video itself.
Image: Emblem of the Rapid Support Forces. Rapid Support Forces, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.