Sudan’s SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has offered a senior post in North Darfur to a recently defected RSF commander described by multiple sources as a disgruntled figure facing internal pressure before his flight from the group.
Al-Nur Al-Qubba—who broke away from the Rapid Support Forces last week—arrived in areas held by General al-Burhan’s SAF after what reports suggest was a deteriorating relationship with RSF leadership, marked by disputes over power, status and the treatment of his fighters.
According to Sudanese media and regional reporting, Al-Qubba had been sidelined within the RSF hierarchy and was angered after being passed over for a key leadership role in North Darfur. Sources say tensions escalated to the point where RSF commanders moved to arrest him on accusations of insubordination, prompting him to flee with a group of loyalists before the move could be carried out.
The defection appears to have exposed fractures within his own ranks. Reports indicate that not all of his fighters followed him, with some surrendering or being captured in clashes with RSF units in North Darfur, underscoring internal divisions rather than a unified break.
Despite this, Burhan hosted Al-Qubba in Dongola and offered him a top administrative role in North Darfur, with sources describing the move as part of a broader effort to co-opt defectors and reshape control in the region.
However, Al-Qubba reportedly showed little interest in governance, instead pushing to return to the battlefield against his former allies—reinforcing perceptions of a commander driven less by administration than by shifting alliances and personal power calculations.
There has been no clear public response from the RSF leadership or its political allies following his defection, though reports point to retaliatory arrests in areas linked to him, suggesting the group views his departure as a breach rather than a strategic loss.
