OMM Redaksiyası
A military group affiliated with Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) defected on Friday and joined the Sudanese Armed Forces, state news agency SUNA reported.
The group was led by Al-Tayeb Mohammed Ahmed, also known as Al-Tayeb Al-Wahido. Senior officials from the Sudanese army and the General Intelligence Service received the defecting personnel.
In a statement, Al-Wahido said he had left the RSF after witnessing “tragedies” within its ranks. He urged other RSF members to join the army, “return to the homeland” and reconsider their positions, saying there was “no cause that justified the continuation of the fighting.”
The RSF did not immediately comment on the announcement.
Series of RSF defections
The latest move follows a series of defections from the RSF in recent weeks, according to SUNA.
On Aug. 31, around 200 RSF fighters, including prominent field commanders, defected and joined the Sudanese army in Omdurman, bringing military equipment with them.
Earlier, on Aug. 19, the army said 318 RSF personnel, including four commanders, had defected with as many as 50 combat vehicles. On Aug. 13, Sudanese authorities announced that 21 commanders and 270 fighters had joined the army with 37 combat vehicles.
Sudan’s ongoing conflict
Sudan has been embroiled in a war between the army and the RSF since April 2023. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more.
