Minnawi: We Would Welcome Hemedti If He Defects from the RSF

Minni Arko Minnawi said on Sunday that any commander defecting from the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia would be welcomed, including its leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, while stressing that accountability would still apply.

Speaking in an interview with Darfur24, Minnawi — who oversees the Joint Force fighting alongside the Sudanese army against the RSF militia — said: “Any defection from the militia is welcome, even if it is Hemedti, but this does not cancel accountability, and justice will have its say.”

He described defections from the RSF militia as a natural development due to the absence of a unifying national project among the group’s components, describing the organization as “alien.”

The defection of Major General Al-Nour Al-Goba received notable official praise, followed shortly by prominent field commander Ali Rizqallah “Al-Safana.” Earlier, Abu Agla Kaykal also defected and later fought alongside the army and its allies in the recapture of Al-Gezira State.

Asked about the military gains these defections could achieve, Minnawi said: “I do not know the precise military value, but it is a convergence of interests.”