RSF Commander Defects To Sudanese Army With Fighters As Wave Of Desertions Grows

A group of about 50 fighters affiliated with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Al-Tayeb Mohammed Ahmed, also known as Al-Tayeb Al-Wahido, has defected and joined the Sudanese army. Al-Wahido said he left the RSF after witnessing what he described as “tragedies” within the group and urged other fighters to abandon the conflict. The move follows several reported defections involving hundreds of RSF fighters and commanders in August. The defections come as Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023, continues to cause widespread deaths, displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.

RSF FIGHTER GROUP JOINS SUDANESE ARMY

A group of fighters affiliated with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has defected and joined the Sudanese Armed Forces, according to Sudan’s state news agency SUNA.
The group was led by Al-Tayeb Mohammed Ahmed, widely known as Al-Tayeb Al-Wahido. Sudanese military and intelligence officials received the defecting fighters after they crossed over to army-controlled forces.
The latest defection was reported on Friday and comes amid a series of similar moves by RSF fighters and commanders in recent months.
According to Sudanese reports, Al-Wahido said he decided to leave the RSF after witnessing what he described as “tragedies” within the paramilitary group.
He called on other RSF members to abandon the fighting, join the Sudanese army and “return to the homeland”.
The RSF did not immediately issue a public response to the announcement.

ABOUT 50 FIGHTERS REPORTEDLY DEFECTED

Sudan Tribune reported that Al-Wahido arrived in Omdurman with about 50 fighters and five armed vehicles.
The fighters were received by senior military and intelligence officials, according to the report.
Al-Wahido said there was no longer a cause that justified continuing the war, urging other RSF fighters to reconsider their positions.
His defection is significant because commanders and organised groups switching sides can bring weapons, vehicles, local knowledge and battlefield experience with them.
However, the exact military impact of the latest move cannot be independently assessed from the available reports.

LATEST DEFECTION FOLLOWS SERIES OF RSF DESERTIONS

The announcement follows several reported defections during August.
On August 31, about 200 RSF fighters, including field commanders, reportedly arrived in Omdurman and declared their support for the Sudanese army.
That group was led by Abu Bakr Hamouda Dahloub, who had served in the RSF's intelligence structure in North Kordofan. The fighters reportedly arrived with weapons and military equipment.
Earlier in August, Sudanese authorities reported that 318 RSF personnel, including four commanders, had defected and joined the army. The group was reported to have brought as many as 50 combat vehicles.
On August 13, Sudanese authorities also announced that 21 commanders and 270 fighters had joined the army with 37 combat vehicles.
Taken together, the reported defections represent hundreds of fighters changing sides within a relatively short period.

WHY THE DEFECTIONS MATTER

Defections are common in prolonged civil wars, particularly when fighters believe their military organisation is losing territory, resources or political support.
For the Sudanese army, the arrival of former RSF personnel can provide additional manpower and military experience.
For the RSF, losing commanders and fighters can create problems with morale, local organisation and battlefield coordination.
The movement of combatants between the two sides also demonstrates how alliances within Sudan's armed groups remain fluid after more than three years of war.
The reported defections, however, should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that the RSF as a whole is collapsing. The paramilitary group continues to control territory and remains a major armed force in the conflict.

ARMY HAS BEEN INTEGRATING FORMER RSF FIGHTERS

The Sudanese army has previously established procedures for processing fighters who leave the RSF and join government forces.
Sudan Tribune reported in August that the army had completed an initial phase of regularising the status of former RSF personnel who had defected.
The process included security and intelligence checks before former RSF fighters were assigned to military units.
Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has also repeatedly offered amnesty to RSF personnel who abandon the paramilitary group and join the national army.
The policy is intended to encourage further defections while strengthening the government's military position.

THE WAR BEGAN OVER THE FUTURE OF SUDAN'S SECURITY FORCES

Sudan's war began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti.
At the centre of the dispute was the proposed integration of the powerful paramilitary force into Sudan's regular army.
The disagreement developed into open fighting in Khartoum before spreading across the country.
What began as a struggle between rival security forces has since developed into a devastating national conflict involving numerous armed groups and shifting alliances.

CIVILIANS HAVE PAID THE HEAVIEST PRICE

More than three years of fighting have caused enormous suffering across Sudan.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, while millions have been forced from their homes.
The conflict has also disrupted food production, damaged hospitals and other essential infrastructure and created severe humanitarian needs.
The United Nations-backed international fact-finding mission has warned that foreign fighters, weapons and other forms of outside support are helping to sustain the war and increase the military capabilities of the rival sides.
For civilians, the continued fighting has meant repeated displacement, food shortages and limited access to healthcare.

DEFECTIONS COME AS SUDAN REMAINS DIVIDED

The latest developments come as Sudan remains divided between areas controlled by the army and territories held by the RSF and allied forces.
The army has strengthened its position in and around Khartoum, while the RSF continues to maintain significant influence in parts of Darfur and other areas.
Recent defections have largely been reported by Sudanese state institutions or media aligned with the army. As the RSF has not immediately confirmed many of the claims, the exact scale and significance of the defections remain difficult to independently verify.

PEACE EFFORTS FACE MAJOR OBSTACLES

The continuing military competition comes despite repeated international efforts to negotiate an end to the war.
Diplomatic initiatives have sought to secure ceasefires, humanitarian access and eventually a political settlement.
However, repeated attempts have failed to produce a durable nationwide ceasefire.
The latest defections could affect calculations on both sides, particularly if more commanders and fighters follow Al-Wahido's call to abandon the RSF.

NO END TO THE WAR YET

The decision by Al-Tayeb Al-Wahido and his fighters to leave the RSF is another sign of the shifting loyalties within Sudan's long-running conflict.
The series of reported defections has provided the Sudanese army with additional personnel and equipment, while the RSF continues to retain substantial military capabilities.
For Sudanese civilians, however, the most important question remains whether the military struggle will eventually give way to a political settlement.
Until that happens, further defections may alter the balance between the armed factions without bringing the wider war to an end.