The Great Escape… Tribal Militia Leaders Defect to the Army and Abandon the “Sinking Ship”

Field sources and monitoring reports have spoken of a state of acute turmoil — described as an “earthquake” — beginning to shake the inner circle surrounding the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. The sources indicated that the coming period is likely to witness a mass departure of social and media figures who had long been considered key pillars supporting the Dagalo family militia, signaling an erosion of the leadership’s surrounding support base.

In a related development, field monitoring reports confirmed that the militia leadership has begun implementing stringent precautionary measures aimed at containing the internal collapse. These measures reportedly include imposing tight surveillance on fighters’ personal phones and placing unprecedented restrictions on the movement of military vehicles.

The sources also revealed that the militia has resorted to using the “weapon of money” by withholding fighters’ salaries in what was described as a desperate attempt to prevent the growing wave of defections spreading through its ranks, particularly after influential groups broke away and aligned themselves with the state and the Sudanese Armed Forces.

In the same context, informed sources stated that Masar Abdulrahman Aseel, Deputy Chairman of the so-called Ta’asis “Founding” Council in West Darfur State, announced his withdrawal of support for the RSF militia and declared his backing for the Sudanese army.

Masar Abdulrahman Aseel is regarded as one of the most prominent tribal administration leaders in West Darfur State and also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Ta’asis Council established by the militia in the state.

The sources told Darfur24 that Masar, who is currently residing in Chad, circulated voice messages through social media groups in which he criticized the arrest campaigns carried out by the militia against figures associated with the National Congress Party (NCP).

According to the sources, Masar had been a prominent leader within the NCP and was widely known in recent months for his pro-militia stance before recently announcing his alignment with the Sudanese army.