Siddiq Ander, a senior commander with Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, has announced his defection from the paramilitary group, according to video footage obtained by Al Jazeera on Friday. In the footage, Ander alleges that relatives of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo exercise tight control over the organization’s financial operations, weapons distribution, personnel movements, and military promotions. He characterized the RSF as functioning primarily as a family enterprise rather than a legitimate military institution. Ander stated that individuals who voice concerns or disclose the full truth face severe consequences, including expulsion, imprisonment, or extrajudicial killing.
Ander’s departure represents the latest in a pattern of high-profile defections from the RSF during the year. On October 8, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Azraq al-Fanjari announced his departure alongside 300 officers and enlisted personnel, along with 30 military vehicles. Al-Fanjari called on remaining fighters to abandon the organization and expressed remorse regarding the conflict’s humanitarian toll. Earlier departures included Al-Tayeb al-Wahidu, who left on September 25 with 50 fighters to join the Sudanese Armed Forces in Omdurman, citing abuses as motivation. Additional senior departures occurred in May and April, with some commanders citing disagreements over military appointments within RSF leadership.
Sudan’s conflict began in April 2023 following a power struggle between the military and the RSF over integration plans. The war has displaced approximately 13 million people and created famine conditions in multiple regions. Recent weeks have witnessed escalating drone strike operations by both sides, resulting in increasing civilian casualties. On October 26, airstrikes targeted a market and residential district in Nyala, an RSF-controlled city in South Darfur, resulting in over 100 reported deaths according to Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese rights organization. The United Nations has identified drone strikes as the primary cause of civilian deaths in the conflict.
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