Nairobi, September 09 (Darfur24)
Sources said Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo remains committed to withdrawing RSF forces participating in the Arab Coalition from their positions in Saudi Arabia, despite mediation efforts and appeals from coalition member states.
Sources said the RSF leadership instructed its commander in Saudi Arabia to notify Saudi authorities that its forces had begun preparations to withdraw, with the process moving at an accelerated pace.
The sources said RSF personnel had already withdrawn from some forward positions and regrouped at two camps while awaiting the position of the Arab Coalition leadership. Coalition officials have reportedly contacted several member states to brief them on the development.
According to the sources, several coalition countries have held extensive consultations in an effort to resolve differences and persuade Dagalo to reverse the decision, but he has remained firm.
The RSF has participated in Arab Coalition missions in Yemen since 2017 and later deployed personnel to locations in Dhahran and Najran in Saudi Arabia.
The sources estimated that about 5,000 RSF personnel are currently stationed in Saudi Arabia. Some are reportedly accompanied by family members.
They said the RSF had lost more than 70 personnel and sustained hundreds of injuries during the past three years while participating in missions along the Saudi-Yemeni border.
Some RSF members are reportedly unhappy with the withdrawal decision because of the salaries and financial benefits they receive, which sources said exceed $5,000 per month for some personnel.
Sources did not rule out the possibility that some RSF members could refuse to withdraw and join Sudanese Armed Forces units stationed elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, although they considered this unlikely. They said the army had previously called on RSF members to join its ranks following the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, but they declined.
The sources also suggested that the RSF forces could be redeployed to a neighboring country, including South Sudan or Ethiopia, if the withdrawal proceeds.
The Saudi government’s position on the reported withdrawal remains unclear.