09/04/2026
Who are the most prominent leaders of the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan?
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were established in Sudan in 2013 and authorized by parliament in 2017 as an independent security force under the Sudanese Armed Forces. Many considered them an army within the army.
Following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir's regime, negotiations began to fully integrate the RSF into the Sudanese army. Its commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), simultaneously participated in the transitional process aimed at handing power to civilians.
However, due to disagreements between Hemedti and the army chief and head of the Sovereignty Council, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, regarding the integration of the RSF into the army, armed clashes erupted in mid-April 2023 between the RSF and the army, which viewed them as a rebel force.
The Rapid Support Forces' operations have faced widespread criticism and accusations of committing massacres, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. They have caused waves of displacement considered among the largest in the world, in addition to accusations of using sexual violence and starvation as weapons of war, widespread destruction of infrastructure and institutions, and rampant looting.
The following is a profile of some of the most prominent leaders of the paramilitary group:
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti)
Born in 1975 in North Darfur State, he belongs to the Mahamid clan of the Rizeigat tribe, a nomadic Arab tribe with a significant presence in Darfur, Kordofan, Chad, Libya, Egypt, and several other African countries.
He received his early education in traditional Quranic schools (kuttabs), but his formal schooling was interrupted in 1991 at the age of 15. In the mid-1990s, Hemedti became a well-known figure on trade routes, trading camels and sheep and importing textiles, particularly between Libya, Mali, and Chad. He reportedly led a small group tasked with securing caravans and deterring bandits and thieves in areas under his tribe's control.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti)
Born in 1975 in North Darfur State, he belongs to the Mahamid clan of the Rizeigat tribe, a nomadic Arab tribe with a significant presence in Darfur, Kordofan, Chad, Libya, Egypt, and several other African countries.
He received his early education in traditional Quranic schools (kuttabs), but his formal schooling was interrupted in 1991 at the age of 15. In the mid-1990s, Hemedti became a well-known figure on trade routes, trading camels and sheep and importing textiles, particularly between Libya, Mali, and Chad. He led a small group tasked with securing caravans and deterring bandits and thieves in areas under his tribe's control.
Between Darfur, Chad, Libya, and Egypt, Hemedti moved from a camel trader and caravan protector to amassing considerable wealth. He formed a militia that attracted the attention of Sudanese politicians, who sought to enlist tribes in an alliance with the Janjaweed militia to combat the Darfur rebellion. His forces later enabled him to exert significant influence on Sudanese politics.
During this period, Hemedti's wealth increased, along with his influence and forces, until he seized control of key gold mining sites in the Darfur region. By 2017, gold sales accounted for 40% of the country's exports.
Thus, the Rapid Support Forces became his gateway into the political arena, culminating in his appointment as deputy head of the Transitional Military Council following the overthrow of al-Bashir.
Abdel Rahim Dagalo
The second-in-command of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and brother of Hemedti, was born in the 1970s. He joined the Border Guards and rose to the rank of colonel with the formation of the RSF, later becoming a lieutenant general. He gradually began to emerge publicly following the fall of al-Bashir.
After assuming military command of the RSF as his brother's deputy in 2018, he began to appear on the political scene, cultivating extensive relationships with leaders of al-Bashir's regime, particularly within the security apparatus, represented by the heads of the intelligence service and the Ministry of Defense, with the aim of developing the RSF.
After the outbreak of war in 2023, videos of Abdel Rahim Dagalo circulated widely, attracting significant attention. His intermittent appearances suggested he had survived after reports of his death in clashes in the Airport District near the army headquarters, days after the war erupted in the capital, Khartoum.
On September 6, 2023, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on him, accusing the forces he commands in Darfur of committing atrocities against civilians. Dagalo, in his first public appearance since the start of the war, denounced the US sanctions as unjust.
Various accounts confirmed that Abdel Rahim Dagalo effectively commanded the forces and issued orders directly, having been delegated this authority by his brother. However, several months after his first public appearance, it emerged that he had left Sudan, traveling to Darfur and then to Chad and Kenya.
Essam Salih Fidayil
A former officer in the Sudanese Army (Class 35), he was later reinstated and seconded to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). He rose through the ranks to become the third-ranking commander after Hemedti and Abdel Rahim Dagalo.
Fadil oversaw the RSF command in Khartoum and was one of its most prominent military figures. Hemedti appointed him head of the “Committee for Negative Phenomena,” a committee responsible for addressing abuses and misconduct within the RSF ranks during the war.
During one of these “Committee for Combating Negative Phenomena” operations in the Taif area of Khartoum, a dispute arose between him and a soldier from the Misseriya tribe. The dispute escalated when Fidayil allegedly shot at the fuel tank of the vehicle the soldier was driving, causing it to burst into flames and the soldier to be burned alive inside.
The incident caused a major upheaval within the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), followed by a decision from the leadership to suspend Brigadier General Fadil and then place him under house arrest in an area northeast of Khartoum.
In May 2025, media sources revealed his arrest on the direct orders of Abdel Rahim Dagalo, amid reports of his deteriorating health while detained in Daqris Prison near Nyala.
Subsequent reports indicated that an armed group stormed the prison and forcibly released him, leading to the escape of a large number of prisoners, including members of the army and the RSF.
Brigadier General Essam Fadil had previously been wounded during operations to combat insubordination within the militia, and reports indicated his withdrawal from Khartoum following escalating internal disputes, according to a recording by the defector Abu Aqla Kikel.
Abdel Rahman Jumaa Baraka-Allah
He hails from the city of Al-Daein in East Darfur and commands the Rapid Support Forces in West Darfur State with the rank of Major General. He is the highest-ranking commander in the region and participated in the Battle of El Geneina in 2023.
He was sanctioned by the European Union and the United Nations Security Council on November 8, 2024, for his involvement in crimes against humanity, acts of violence, and human rights violations in Darfur.
Abdel Rahman is accused of involvement in the killing of the Governor of West Darfur, Khamis Abkar, whom he was with just minutes before his death on June 14, 2023. Footage circulating on social media showed Abkar being taken to Abdel Rahman's office before images of the governor's mutilated body were published.
In September 2023, the US State Department stated that Abdel Rahman was leading the men who killed the governor. In an audio message posted on the Rapid Support Forces' page, Abdel Rahman said that an angry mob killed Abkar while he was trying to flee to Chad, and that he had tried to help him by arranging his transfer to Chad.
Around the same time, the Darfur Bar Association called on human rights organizations to take legal action against Abdel Rahman for committing "grave violations" against civilians, and the association urged the United Nations to intervene to stop these violations.
In August 2023, the Rapid Support Forces' War Crimes and Violations Committee, established by a decision of the head of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council, issued a list of individuals wanted for prosecution, and Abdel Rahman was among them.
A local source told Al Jazeera Net that Abdul Rahman Juma is responsible for mobilizing fighters and sending them to fight in El Fasher in order to take control of it.
Issa Bishara
One of the most prominent commanders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and a close confidant of its leader, Hemedti. He belongs to the Rizeigat Mahariya tribe and wields considerable influence within the military leadership, particularly in intelligence.
From the very first day of the Sudanese war in 2023, Bishara was tasked with managing RSF intelligence, following the departure of the previous director, Major General Al-Khair Abdullah “Abu Muridat,” who refused to participate in the fighting. Since then, he has overseen the central operations room in Khartoum, which manages battles in the capital and surrounding areas.
Bishara established his headquarters in the Taif district of Khartoum and moved between his offices in eastern Khartoum, while also supervising military operations on the ground.Reports indicate that he participated in planning the war against the Sudanese army from its outset, drawing on his previous experience in field security operations and managing surveillance and assassination operations in Darfur before his transfer to the capital.
Bishara also oversaw Rapid Support Forces (RSF) detention centers, including the notorious Soba and Riyadh prisons south of Khartoum. Sudanese security sources stated that the camp and prison were under his direct supervision, and that these detention centers witnessed serious violations, including the deaths of dozens of detainees due to torture, starvation, and a cholera outbreak, particularly in Soba prison.
In March 2025, Sudanese army soldiers circulated videos filmed inside Bishara's office, which was considered at the time to be an indication of a breach of sensitive RSF intelligence sites.
Osman Mohamed Hamed Mohamed
Known as “Osman (Military) Operations,” he is one of the most prominent commanders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan. Prior to joining the RSF, he served as head of operations. He was an officer in the Sudanese Armed Forces and refused to comply with orders from Army Commander Burhan to terminate the secondment of army officers to the RSF in the early days of the war.
Osman Hamed oversaw military operations in Khartoum and Gezira State and wielded significant influence within the RSF.
Osman Mohamed Hamed Mohamed was placed on the UN Security Council sanctions list on November 8, 2024, and subsequently sanctioned by the European Union and the US Treasury Department in May 2024 for his involvement in activities and policies that threaten peace, security, and stability in Darfur, including violence and human rights abuses.
The 15-member Security Council sanctions committee on Sudan also approved a US proposal at the end of August 2024 to impose a travel ban on him and freeze his assets, as part of international measures to contain the expansion of the war in Sudan.
The 15-member Security Council sanctions committee on Sudan also approved a US proposal at the end of August 2024 to impose a travel ban on him and freeze his assets, as part of international measures to contain the expansion of the war in Sudan.
Al-Fatih Abdullah Idris, aka Abu Lulu
A field commander in the Rapid Support Forces, where he held the rank of brigadier general, committed mass killings and widespread human rights abuses against civilians in El Fasher, the scene of some of the most violent clashes in Darfur.
He played a role in turning El Fasher into what survivors described as a “slaughterhouse.” Beginning in August 2025, he started posting videos on TikTok documenting his operations in Darfur, showing him shooting civilians during interrogations in remote areas of the region, boasting about his actions.
His notoriety began when he executed a man because of his tribal identity. Videos then surfaced showing him participating in summary killings and mass executions in El Fasher, which was under siege for approximately 18 months at the time, during which massacres were committed that were described as the worst in the region's history.
In September 2025, rumors circulated about his death, but he later resurfaced, documenting further killings in new videos. As public and international outrage mounted, the Rapid Support Forces announced in late October 2025 that they had arrested him along with several of their fighters, accusing them of committing crimes and violations in El Fasher.
Jadu Hamdan Abu Nashouk
A member of the Hemedti clan and part of the inner circle of the Rapid Support Forces' military leadership.
He began his career in the Border Guard Force, established by al-Bashir in 2003, composed of fighters from North Darfur tribes under the command of Musa Hilal. In 2018, he joined the Rapid Support Forces as part of a group known as "repentant" individuals with criminal records.
He gained prominence after participating in the Battle of Qureida in 2006 against the forces of Minni Arko Minawi, after which he was promoted to the rank of colonel, then commander of the training camp in Fatasha, and later to the rank of brigadier general, along with a group of men from his Rizeigat Mahariya tribe.
Abu Nashouk is considered one of Darfur's wealthiest men, owning a fleet of cars, pastures, and other properties in Nyala and Khartoum, according to a 2022 report in the Sudanese newspaper Al-Nil.
Abu Nashouk led the Rapid Support Forces in South Darfur until 2021, then in North Darfur, and participated in the suppression of the Khartoum protests in 2018.
According to Al Jazeera sources, Major General Al-Nur Al-Qubba assumed command of the Rapid Support Forces in El Fasher after Abu Nashouk was wounded and transferred abroad for treatment.
Musa Hamid Ambelo
One of the oldest members of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), he served as its commander in West Darfur for a period.
According to the Sudanese press, Ambelo was involved in violent events in El Geneina in late 2019, which resulted in the deaths of dozens amidst a humanitarian crisis that left civilians suffering from power and water outages, and the closure of hospitals, schools, and markets.
The Defense Committee for Detainees in West Darfur State, held in Al-Huda Prison, confirmed that Ambelo is a prime suspect in the first Krinding events of 2019, and that there are outstanding reports and an arrest warrant against him.
Following the outbreak of the Sudanese war in 2023, Ambelo was tasked with overseeing the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum North.
According to sources who spoke to Al Jazeera, Ambelo established his headquarters in the Kafouri suburb east of Khartoum North and moved between Khartoum North and Omdurman for several months before disappearing.
