Senior RSF commander defects, citing family control

Senior Rapid Support Forces commander Siddiq Ander says he has defected, accusing relatives of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of controlling the group's money, weapons, troop movements and promotions.

Why it matters: Ander is the latest in a string of senior RSF departures this year, and his stated reason, that the paramilitary is run as a family project, points to internal strain inside the force fighting Sudan's army since April 2023.

Data as of Single source: Al Jazeera reporting published October 31, 2026, based on exclusive video footage it obtained, read in full in this run. No response from the RSF or the Sudanese army is reported, the article does not say where Ander went or whether he joined another force, and no independent outlet has corroborated the defection yet.

Senior Rapid Support Forces commander Siddiq Ander says he has defected from Sudan’s paramilitary group, in video footage obtained by Al Jazeera and published on Friday. Ander accused relatives of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, of tightly controlling the group’s finances, weapons, troop movements and military promotions, and said anyone who speaks out faces expulsion, imprisonment or worse. Hemedti’s brother, Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, is the RSF deputy commander.

The defection follows several others this year, including a lieutenant colonel who left on October 8 with 300 officers and soldiers, according to the same reporting. Al Jazeera does not say where Ander went or whether he joined the Sudanese Armed Forces, and neither the RSF nor the army is reported responding.

Senior RSF commander defects, citing family control

Sources