Ali Rizk Allah “Al-Safna” Defects From Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, Joins Sudanese Army

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces commander Ali Rizk Allah, known as 'Al-Safna', announced his defection and said he was leaving the RSF after a maneuver lasting several days to guarantee his safety.

“RSF commander Ali Rizqallah, better known by his nom de guerre ‘El Safana’, announced on Monday that he has defected from the paramilitary force, in the latest sign of strains within the group as Sudan’s civil war grinds on”

Dabanga Radio TV Online

Al-Safna’s defection came after the April 2023 outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, and multiple sources tie his career to shifting between armed movements and peace agreements in western Sudan.

Dabanga Radio TV Online

Al-Safna is described as a senior field commander who directed battles in Khartoum and El-Fashir, and the sources say he holds the rank of brigadier general.

In the account carried by صحيفة عاجل, his defection was carried out through a decoy operation in which he claimed he was heading to Kordofan before evading RSF ambushes.

The same reporting frames the move as a strong blow to the RSF after the defection of senior commander Noor al-Qubba, with Sudanese media previously reporting his status before any official confirmation.

In a video clip released Monday, Ali Rizq Allah 'Al-Safna' said he calls for an end to the war and declared: "we are not war advocates but advocates of peace and stability," while confirming that he is out of the RSF as of today.

He also told viewers: "I declare the defection in line with the will of the Sudanese people across the country," and added: "I promise you that what is coming is more," according to العربي الجديد.

Andbndnt Arabiyya

Dabanga Radio TV Online says that in a video statement via social media, the field commander aligned himself with the Sudanese people while denying reports that he had joined the Sudanese Armed Forces, and it quotes him saying, "We are neither advocates of war nor advocates of peace,".

The same Dabanga account describes his earlier audio recording in which he defended El Qubba’s decision to leave the RSF, saying the commander had repeatedly sought meetings with the group’s leadership but had instead been fobbed off with junior officers.

While the West Asian sources emphasize the defection as a blow to the RSF, the accounts also place it in a wider pattern of departures, with العربي الجديد linking it to ongoing battles in Darfur, Kordofan, and the Blue Nile.

The defection is framed as part of strains within the RSF as Sudan’s civil war grinds on, with Dabanga Radio TV Online describing rumors of further fragmentation and noting that other commanders from Unit 296 have been released in videos and audio recordings reaffirming loyalty.

“Summary The defecting commander began his rebellious path in 2005, before officially joining the army as an officer in 2013, after the outbreak of the war”

Andbndnt Arabiyya

Dabanga also says El Safana’s Unit 296 had been operating in West Kordofan after redeploying from the El Fasher front, and it links recent turmoil to events around the town of Misterei, described as a stronghold of Hilal and his Revolutionary Awakening Council.

The sources further connect the political stakes to Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, with جريدة البلاد السعودية reporting that the head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council welcomed the move and affirmed that "the army's doors are open to anyone who decides to lay down arms and join the state's path."

In the same reporting, Al-Safna is described as closely linked to tribal leader Musa Hilal, and the sources say his defection could bolster the Sudanese army’s position on fronts especially in Darfur.

Other accounts add that the defection follows the earlier departure of Major General Al-Nour Al-Quba, and they describe reciprocal and ongoing drone attacks as part of the broader battlefield context in Darfur, Kordofan, and the Blue Nile.