KHARTOUM – Sudanese Revolutionary Awakening Council leader Musa Hilal urged fighters in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to defect and return to the state, saying continued defections would weaken the paramilitary force and strengthen Sudan’s internal front.

Hilal made the remarks after meeting Brig. Musa Ali Ahmed, known as Musa Khamsin, who recently defected from the RSF and joined the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) before arriving in Khartoum.

Hilal welcomed Khamsin and his comrades’ decision to leave the RSF, describing it as a step in favor of Sudan’s national interest, unity and security. He said fighters still inside the RSF should reconsider their position and side with the army.

Khamsin said his decision to defect from the RSF was based on a “firm conviction” and came in response to calls by Sovereign Council Chairman and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hilal to place the national interest above factional loyalty.

He accused the RSF of lacking a national cause or clear political project to serve Sudan and its people, saying the force had become a tool for foreign agendas that threaten the country’s security, stability and unity.

Sudan Now could not independently verify the circumstances of the defection or the number of fighters who joined Khamsin. The RSF did not immediately comment.

The meeting came after a group led by Khamsin announced its defection from the RSF and its decision to join the army, amid a wider wave of reported defections from the paramilitary force in recent months.

Hilal, a prominent Darfur Arab tribal leader and former Janjaweed commander, has become increasingly critical of the RSF leadership. His Revolutionary Awakening Council has repeatedly called on members of Arab tribes and RSF-linked fighters to distance themselves from the force.

The latest appeal comes as Sudan’s war, which erupted in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF, continues across Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and other regions. Recent defections have added pressure on the RSF’s internal cohesion, though their overall military impact remains difficult to assess.

For the army, defections from RSF commanders and fighters may provide not only additional manpower but also field knowledge about RSF supply routes, command structures and tribal networks. However, the reintegration of former RSF fighters has also raised questions over accountability for alleged abuses committed during the war.