RSF Suffers Fresh Blow as Senior Commander Defects Amid Sudan War

Senior Rapid Support Forces commander Brigadier Ali Rizqallah, known as Savanah, has defected from the group during Sudan’s ongoing war. His defection follows another senior commander’s exit last month as fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese army continues.

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has suffered another major setback after a senior commander defected from the group, marking the second high-profile defection in recent weeks amid the country’s ongoing civil war.
Brigadier Ali Rizqallah, widely known by his nickname “Savanah,” announced in a video shared on social media on Monday that he was leaving the RSF and aligning himself with what he described as the will of the Sudanese people.
“From today, we are on one side and the RSF are on the other,” Savanah declared in the video message. “My voice is the voice of the Sudanese people in all regions, east, west, south, and north. My voice is the voice of the refugees and displaced persons.”
The RSF had not issued any official response to his defection as of Monday.
Savanah was regarded as one of the senior field commanders within the paramilitary force and reportedly played key roles in battles against the Sudanese army in the capital, Khartoum, as well as in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State. Details about the number of fighters under his command were not immediately available.
His departure comes only weeks after another RSF commander, Al-Nur Al-Qubba, defected to the Sudanese army in April, raising fresh questions about internal divisions within the paramilitary group as the conflict drags on.
Sudan has been engulfed in a devastating war since April 2023 following a bitter power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary force into the regular military.
The conflict has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with tens of thousands of people killed and nearly 13 million displaced from their homes. Large parts of the country are also facing severe food shortages and famine-like conditions as violence continues to spread across several regions.