Sudan's RSF security adviser killed in drone strike in central Darfur

A senior security adviser to the commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was killed on January 1 in a drone strike near Zalingei, the capital of Central Darfur, according to local sources cited by Sudan Tribune.

Hamid Ali Abubakar, a prominent RSF figure, was attending a meeting in the Damrat al-Firdous area when the strike occurred. Several of his companions were also killed. The gathering reportedly included RSF military officers and senior leaders from a pro-RSF faction of the Revolutionary Awakening Council (RAC), among them Major General Ramadan Salem.

Abubakar also served as commander-in-chief of the RAC forces aligned with the RSF and was regarded as a key security adviser to RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, widely known as Hemedti. A member of the Mahameed tribe, Abubakar held considerable influence within the paramilitary organisation.

His role, however, was contentious within his own community. Members of the Mahameed tribe had previously accused Abubakar of attempting to weaken the influence of prominent tribal leader Musa Hilal by using financial incentives to recruit Mahameed youth into the RSF. He was also alleged to have planned a military offensive against Hilal’s stronghold in Mistariha, North Darfur.

Tensions escalated further on December 30, when Habib Musa Hilal accused Abubakar of deliberately stoking internal divisions within the Mahameed tribe on behalf of the RSF leadership. Speaking to RSF defectors who had recently joined the RAC, Hilal claimed that Abubakar’s recruitment campaigns had resulted in the deaths and serious injuries of many Mahameed youths deployed to active combat zones.

Hilal also alleged that the RSF is deliberately targeting the Mahameed tribe because of its tribal affiliations, warning that the group is prepared to respond militarily if Mistariha comes under attack.

By Sabina Mammadli