2.3. The Rapid Support Forces [RSF] and allies

COMMON ANALYSIS
Last update: June 2025

The RSF is a paramilitary group formed in 2013, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, former deputy chairman of the Transitional Sovereign Council. The group has its origins in the Janjaweed, an ethnic militia formerly supported by the Bashir government, which gained notoriety for its role in the Darfur conflict during the 2000s. The RSF played a key role in both the 2019 coup and the October 2021 coup and was officially dissolved on 18 April 2023, by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Subsequently RSF was declared a rebel force.

With a complex financial network controlling the gold market and engaging in mercenary operations abroad (Yemen and Libya), the RSF developed independent sources of income. The RSF also received support and weapons supplies from Russia’s former Wagner Group, as well as from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its main goal is to seize control of the security sector and establish a new army, replacing the SAF.

Several armed groups have backed the RSF in the conflict, notably:

• Local militia groups, especially those from the Arab communities in Darfur, and in South Kordofan.

• Third Front, or Tamazuj: signatory of the JPA, is an armed group led by Mohammed Ali Qureshi. It holds forces across the Darfur and the Kordofans border regions. It pledged its support to the RSF on 17 August 2023.

• Foreign combatants from Chad, Central African Republic (CAR), Libya, and Colombia

For additional information see also 4.3.4. a) - Presence, methods and tactics of actors.

The RSF committed widespread human rights violations including extrajudicial killings of civilians, execution of war prisoners from opposing forces, torture, forced disappearance, unlawful detention of individuals based on imputed political affiliations, and ethnic targeting of non-Arab groups especially in Darfur. In areas controlled by the RSF, individuals have been forcibly disappeared, with their families coerced into paying ransom for their release. Additionally, there were reports of degrading and humiliating treatment and torture of detainees, including whipping, beatings, and forcing individuals to walk on their knees over gravel roads. Victims were also subjected to electric shocks, burns, and other forms of torture. Sources highlighted instances of sexual violence, including forced nudity, genital beatings, and threats of rape, particularly against men and boys in detention, during or prior to their interrogations.

Additionally sexual violence was used by the RSF as a weapon of war, including as an ethnic-cleansing tool. Rape and gang rape, predominantly targeting women and girls, occurred on a large scale, particularly during the invasion of cities, attacks on IDP camps, and the occupation of urban areas by armed fighters. The RSF also deliberately hindered the delivery of humanitarian assistance and blocked access to aid for those in need, turning food into a weapon of war.

For additional information regarding targeted human rights violation at the hand of the RSF see also 3.1.1. Non-Arabs/Africans from Darfur, 3.1.2. Nuba from the Kordofans, 3.2. Individuals fearing forced recruitment by the RSF, 3.3. Members of the Resistance committees (RCs) and Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs), 3.4. Members of political parties, unions and civil society organisations, 3.5. Community leaders, human rights activists, and lawyers, 3.6. Journalists and other media workers, 3.7. Humanitarian and healthcare workers, 3.8. Civilians from areas associated with the opposing warring party, 3.9. Women and girls, 3.10. Children, 3.11. Persons with diverse SOGIESC.