Sudan’s army says 318 RSF fighters, including four commanders, have defected and joined its ranks. It is the latest in a growing string of surrenders by paramilitary personnel more than three years into the war.
The group arrived in Al-Dabba locality in Northern State with as many as 50 combat vehicles. Sudanese military authorities confirmed the arrival in a statement issued through Border Guards commander Mohamed Saleh Younes. He said the doors of the homeland remain open to any RSF fighters willing to return to the ranks of the armed forces.
Lieutenant-Colonel Musa Ali Ahmed was named as the leader of the group. He said the decision to leave stemmed from the absence of institutional structure within the Rapid Support Forces. He added that his unit was ready to fight alongside the army for the unity and stability of Sudan.
Younes said the military would continue its efforts to restore security across the country. He also called on other paramilitary fighters still in the field to consider laying down arms.
This is not an isolated case. Just a week earlier, Sudanese authorities announced that 300 other personnel, including 21 commanders, had similarly crossed over to join the armed forces. The pattern has become familiar in recent months. Senior figures such as political adviser Fares al-Nour, field commander Ali Rizqallah and Major General Al-Nour Ahmed Adam have all abandoned the paramilitary group.
For the army, each wave of RSF fighters switching sides offers a practical boost in personnel and equipment. It helps the military consolidate territory retaken from the paramilitaries. For the group being left behind, the losses are proving harder to absorb.
Analysts tracking the conflict say the defections expose tribal and political fault lines. These divisions had been papered over since fighting broke out in April 2023. Many of the commanders now switching sides were drawn from the same clan networks that once supplied recruits and RSF fighters to the paramilitary ranks.
The paramilitary group has not issued a public response to the latest defection. That silence has become typical whenever senior figures or large groups leave its ranks.
Sudan’s war, now stretching past its third year, has displaced millions and pushed parts of the country toward famine conditions. Fighting remains concentrated in Darfur, Kordofan and areas bordering Khartoum.
Whether the recent run of departures marks a genuine turning point or simply a reshuffling of forces within a still-grinding conflict remains to be seen. For now, the trend has given Sudan’s military a talking point it has been keen to publicise.
