A rebellion within the rebellion? Tribal tensions in the RSF
Executive summary
· Amid pre-existing reports of infighting between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) combat units, this briefing covers a tribal rift within the militia between the Mahariya Rizeigat who lead the militia and the Misseriya tribe – Sudan’s second-largest and a key RSF constituent.
· The main character of this story is Rahma Mahdi - known as ‘General Jalha’ – a Misseriya armed group leader who integrated his forces into the RSF in September 2023.
· Jalha’s loyalists and fellow Misseriya in the RSF were outraged by statements made on a regional TV news station by RSF advisor Omran Hassan that Jalha is merely a soldier rather than a commander.
· This triggered threats from Misseriya RSF fighters towards their Rizeigat counterparts, culminating in Jalha ordering the withdrawal of his troops and asserting his independence from the RSF.
Understanding the tribal dynamics of the RSF
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Himedti) and his family, who belong to the Mahariya branch of the Rizeigat – a nomadic Arab tribe from Darfur and neighbouring Chad. Nonetheless, the RSF has a broad socio-ethnic base of nomadic Arab tribes from western Sudan.
It is common to see pro-RSF groups chanting slogans emphasising calls for the fall of the “56 state” which is said to belong to the “Jallaba” (northern Sudanese), at the expense of the “Attawah state”. The Attawa are a group of nomadic tribes of western Sudan such as the Ta’aisha, Hawazma, Rizeigat and Misseriya. These groups claim to be descendants of Junaid bin Ahmed al-Juhaini. As such, the Attawah have also been described as falling under the Junaid umbrella.
A mark of the tribal nature of the RSF militia is the naming of its most important company: Al-Junaid conglomerate, which has provided at least tens of millions in financial backing for the militia. This includes Al-Gunade gold company, a key element of the RSF’s income and strategic relationship with their alleged UAE sponsors.
While the RSF is led by Mahariya Rizeigat, the Misseriya tribe - the second-largest in Sudan – are a major constituent of RSF. However, the Misseriya are not a monolith and there has been a history of tension between this tribe and the RSF militia, alongside the Rizeigat who dominate it.
For example, there were deadly clashed between the Misseriya and Rizeigat in 2008, 2009, 2015 and 2022. The RSF’s rebellion in April 2023 re-ignited these tensions as they forced a wedge between the Misseriya community, which maintains ties to both the army and the RSF. In January 2024, tensions erupted within the Misseriya over the RSF’s plans to seize West Kordofan – a state which hosts Dar Al-Misseriya region that is considered the home of the tribe. The RSF’s siege in West Kordofan displaced over 50,000, leading a high-ranking Misseriya delegation to declare their support for the army and reject the RSF’s control of their land by June 2024.
RSF in-fighting in Central Sudan
According to reports, infighting within the RSF militia has escalated in recent months. Back in March 2024, Mada Masr reported that battles occasionally erupt between the three RSF forces to whom Al-Jazirah state is divided: Abdelrahman Al-Bishi’s forces in the south, Abu ‘Agla Kaykel’s forces in the east and Jalha Rahma Mahdi’s forces in the West.
In June 2024, a field military source told Mada Masr subsequently that these RSF combat units are unmotivated and they do not follow military orders given that they are primarily motivated by looting and theft. By the end of June, Kaykel played a key role in the RSF’s advances in neighbouring Sennar state. As did Al-Bishi, although he was neutralised in Sennar on July 20 2024. Al-Bishi’s killing has reportedly triggered more infighting.
While these men played a crucial role in the RSF’s seizing of Al-Jazira in December 2023, none of them are Rizeigat. Jalha, a Misseri, falls under the Juneid / Attawah umbrella. However, Kaykel hails from the Shukriya tribe in central Sudan and Al-Bishi hailed from the Rufa’a tribe of central Sudan.
Al-Watan media, a pro-army outlet, reported that Rizeigat RSF rebels are refusing to fight under Kaykel in Sennar due to a lack of confidence following Al-Bishi’s elimination. In addition, a Facebook post from Ammar Hassan Ammar, the spokesperson for the army-affiliated Popular Resistance claimed that there clashes erupted in West Sennar between RSF elements. Sudan In The News are unable to verify the credibility of these reports. However, we can confirm, with evidence, the highly publicised spat that is being fought on social media between Misseriya and Rizeigat RSF fighters.
A profile of General Jalha
The main character of this plot is Rahma Mahdi, who is known as ‘General Jalha’. He was a general in the Border Guards, a force formed in 2003 that was the main government-sponsored militia used to attack Darfur’s non-Arab communities. As noted by Africa Confidential, he was jailed in Khartoum as a renegade before escaping to Libya in 2014 where he formed his own armed group. As the leader of a group called Shujaan Kordofan, he would integrate with the RSF in September 2023.
Before this, Jalha took pride in his autonomy from the RSF despite supporting the militia as indicated in a speech from 2020. Jalha said that he has no intention of joining the RSF, although he threatened to burn the whole of Sudan down if Himedti is killed, saying that the RSF commander represents western Sudanese and the ‘Attawah’.
Nonetheless, as mentioned earlier, there have been tensions among the Attawah – particularly Himedti’s Rizeigat and Jalha’s Misseriya. The next section will cover their recent re-ignition and how they have played out within the militia’s ranks, with Jalha being a central part.
How Jalha was belittled by an RSF advisor
At the end of June, Jalha made a speech in which he bragged about the presence of mercenaries in his forces from South Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, Libya “and anywhere else”.
In mid-July, the aforementioned comments were broadcast on the regional news station Al-Hadath. Omran Hassan, a UK-based RSF advisor was asked: “is [Jalha] one of your commanders or not?”. Omran responded: “he is an individual soldier, not a leader who has a say in the RSF. The RSF has advisors and spokespeople, if anybody speaks as they like then it would not be an institution”.
Considering Jalha’s experience of militancy and status within the RSF as a leader of combat units, Omran’s comments were considered to have belittled Jalha who was subsequently ridiculed on social media. For example, a new term started taking Sudanese social media by storm: Jalha Sai (just a Jalha, meaning ‘irrelevant person’).
Several memes also circulated social media including:
· A meme where Homer Simpson is calling Jalha a volunteer fighter and falangai from his car. A falangay is a term coined by RSF fighters meaning the person that holds the water vessel used to clean the bottom after defecating
· A meme in which Jalha is led to believe he is playing a console game with notable RSF fighters Kaykel and Osman Operations, but Jalha’s controller is the only one not plugged in.
· “Don’t be just a Jalha” written on the back of tuktuk/rickshaw.
Farhaat Wad al-Omdah, an army soldier who has gained a mass following among Sudanese for streaming from the battlefield, was one of those to ridicule Jalha. “They’re saying that you’re just a falangay,” he said. Wad al-Omdah told Jalha:
“If you’re not part of the Daglo family, no matter what your rank is, you’re just a falangai. Stop calling yourself a general, we know you don’t have anything”.
Days after Omran’s comment, a video circulated where Jalha addressed his troops saying: “damn them all and damn the world, anyone that wants the truth let him come to Sudan”. The latter part of the statement was considered a dig at the UK-based Omran.
Misseriya RSF fighters threaten their Rizeigat counterparts
A Misseriya fighter named ‘Abujood Al-Misseri’ then responded in defence of Jalha. He said:
“Jalha… is a red line. General Jalha is the leader of the Shujaan Kordofan Movement. Who are you to say that he is just a soldier?
As the Misseriya tribe, we don’t accept this. General Jalha is not a Lieutenant General, he is a Field Marshal [highest rank in the army]. I swear to God, nobody threatens us.
Nobody threatens the Misseriya tribe. Whether you like it or not. 200,000 from the Misseriya since 15 April gave men, arms, vehicles, blood and sweat for this cause…we won’t compromise our cause”.
Abujood was then addressed by an RSF leader named Ahmed Al-Mahiri – a Mahiriya Rizeigi from the Dalgo family. Al-Mahri effectively told Abujood to know his role and implied that he is ignorant. He said:
“The video does not represent the RSF. There are political affairs that you must understand. There is a difference between politics and field commanders. You are a field commander, you don’t have any relation to what happens politically. These things are far away from you. You’re only a field commander. These are political matters, you don’t understand them”.
Then, one of the most visible RSF fighters on social media waded in. Mohamed al-Fatih, also known as Yajuj and Majuj after the demonic figures described in the texts of all three Abrahimic religions, had previously become notorious for openly saying that rape is the “right” of the militia. In comments addressed to Abujood, he said:
“The talk of these children, this gibberish, must be stopped. Abujood – you’re meant to hold your tongue and think about your words carefully”.
Abujood subsequently attacked Al-Mahri and Al-Fatih’s masculinity and effectively told them to come say what they said to his face. He said:
“Anyone who wants to say anything should come to me instead of talking in the media like a girl. If you want me, come to me straight up!”
Then, another RSF fighter from the Misseriya tribe (name unknown) published a TikTok with a caption “Jalha is a red line”. In words that were addressed to either Al-Fatih or another RSF figure named Al-Jofani, he said:
“Be a man. Who are you to disrespect General Jalha? If it wasn’t for General Jalha you would not have any worth in the RSF. We only knew you this year, at the start of the war. General Jalha has been a rebel how many years?”
The reason why it is unclear who the Misseriya fighter address is because he did not mention a name and his remarks apply to both Al-Faith and Al-Jofani, who only became prominent figures following the outbreak of the war. The latter was a comedy actor before the war, who has since become highly visible on social media dressed in the RSF’s distinctive fighting gear: kabdi (beige) fatigues and kadmol (turban mask). In video, Al-Jofani told Jalha to “just shut up”, saying:
“The law in the RSF does not protect the foolish. Consider your words 1,000 times and then speak. Or just shut up! In the RSF, we are all soldiers behind Himedti”
Jalha’s explosive response
Jalha then further fanned the flames of the disputes by issuing an explosive 10-minute response in which he asserted his autonomy from the RSF, ordered the withdrawal of his troops and took shots at both Al-Jofani and the advisor Omran.
Firstly, Jalha asserted his independence from the Rapid Support Forces, claiming that he leads the Rapid Intervention Forces. He said:
“Ask Himedti. I’m not Rapid Support. I’m the leader of the Rapid Intervention in Sudan and the sudden death and we can die in front of you standing!
“We are the Shuj’aan Movement of the Greater Kordofan, we came allied to the Rapid Support. We aren’t Rapid Support. I am the leader of the Rapid Intervention Forces in Sudan, and the leader of the Shuj’aan Movement of the Greater Kordofan, and the leader of the marginalised in Sudan. Whoever wants us, come find us in the battlefield. We don’t talk too much.”
Secondly, Jalha ordered his troops to withdraw from Al-Jazira and come to Khartoum.
“Assemble those in Al-Managil, Al-Rufa’a and Madani, gather within 72 hours. If you don’t come, measure will be taken up against you by the command over there. We’re present in Khartoum and East of the Nile, they must be assembled. You know the two locations”
Finally, Jalha took aim at the advisor Omran and Al-Jofani:
“As for the advisor, they said you’re just a civilian. I don’t have a response for you. Al-Jofani - if you have a personal issue with me, come to me. I only know you as a media person, I don’t know anything else about you. You didn’t come to the battlefield with us. You only represent yourself, Al-Jofani is an individual.”
Attempts to diffuse by the RSF media team
The RSF media team has attempted diffuse the issue, although Jalha’s loyalist continue to launch social media attacks from their personal social media outlets. The pinned tweet on Jalha’s profile bears a new adopted slogan which says: “we are all troops behind the commander”. His Twitter page is likely managed by the RSF’s media team given that it regularly uploads posts coordinated across the accounts of other RSF fighters.
Firstly, a contradictory statement was uploaded by the association of the Misseriya which said:
“We would like to emphasize that the advisor Omran did not intend to belittle General Jalha, and his statements came in the context of his defence of the RSF as an institution, for which he is an adviser. Sometimes a person may find himself having to belittle a particular individual in order to defend a larger institution, but that in no way means an insult to that person”
Secondly, a speech by Omran was uploaded on Jalha’s page in which the advisor said: “the institution has its way of communicating with the world”.
Jalha loyalists continue to make threats
But Misseri Jalha loyalists in RSF continued to fan the flames of the dispute. A group of Jalha loyalists in the RSF called Al-Jofani “a son of a b*tch” who is not on their level.
Another unnamed Misseri RSF fighter glorified Jalha and Abujood and issued threats to their opponents. He said:
“Jalha is a Field Marshal and Abujood is a Lieutenant General. Anyone who wants to talk, come to me. Jofani – we know what you are. Like Field Marshal Jalha said: you’re just an ass kisser. You’re just a media person. You never entered the field or knew a thing about us. The Rapid Intervention is known. Al-Jofani and Mohamed Al-Fatih: pretend to be asleep.”