318 RSF Fighters, Including Four Commanders, Defect to Sudanese Army in Northern State

The Sudanese army announced late Tuesday, August 18-19, 2026 that a group of 318 RSF personnel, including four commanders, had defected and joined its ranks at the Al-Dabba locality in Northern State, arriving with as many as 50 combat vehicles. Border Guards commander Mohamed Saleh Younes announced the defection, and Lt. Col. Musa Ali Ahmed, identified as the group's leader, attributed the decision to the RSF's lack of institutional structure, saying the group chose to join the army in the interest of preserving Sudan's unity. The army said it would welcome further RSF personnel choosing to return to its ranks. The defection follows a reported wave of roughly 300 RSF personnel, including 21 commanders, who joined SAF the previous week — part of an accelerating pattern of defections more than three years into the war.