Rapid Support Forces

Also known as RSF, Quwwāt ad-daʿm as-sarīʿ

The Rapid Support Forces are a Sudanese paramilitary force formerly operated by the Sudanese government. They originated as auxiliary force militias known as the Janjaweed used by the Sudanese government during the War in Darfur, which the government later restructured as a paramilitary organization in August 2013 under the command of Muhammad Dagalo, better known by his nom de guerre Hemedti.

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Within Vinony's link graph, Rapid Support Forces is referenced by 500 other articles, and connects out to Libyan Civil War, Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and United Arab Emirates.

It sits within the topics 2013 establishments in Sudan, Arab nationalism in Sudan and Arab nationalist militant groups.

Its subject is documented across 29 Wikipedia language editions.

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Key facts

Commander: Hemedti
Deputy head: Abdul Rahim Dagalo
Head of operations: Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed ( since November 2024 )
East darfur commander: Abdul Rahman Jumma
Spokesperson: Yousif Ibrahim Ismaeil ( 2021–2024 ), Mohamed Mokhtar and Al-Fateh al-Qurashi ( 2024–present )
Foundation: August 2013
Allegiance: Government of Sudan (2013–2023), Territory of the Rapid Support Forces ( 2023–2025 ), Government of Peace and Unity ( 2025–present )
Ideology: Baggara interests , Arab supremacy , New Sudan (self-presented, disputed) , Anti-Black racism , Africanist populism (disputed) , Anti-Islamism (disputed) , Secularism , Tribalism
Notable attacks: Darfur genocide (2023–present) Khartoum massacre Masalit genocide 2024 eastern Gezira State massacres El Fasher massacre Ardamata massacre Galgani massacre Misterei massacre RSF atrocities in Khartoum Wad An Nora massacre
Size: 100,000 (2023) to 150,000 , 450,000 (2026) (Per Hemedti)
Part of: National Intelligence and Security Service and Sudanese Armed Forces (until 2023)
Allies: State allies: , Sudan (before 2023), United Arab Emirates (denied) , Chad (alleged, denied) , Non-state allies: , Wagner Group (until early 2024) , Libyan National Army (denied) , Tamazuj , SPLM-N (al-Hilu) (since 2025) , Puntland (alleged) Coalition of Patriots for Change
Battles and wars: War in Darfur Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile Second Libyan Civil War Western Libya campaign Yemeni civil war Saudi Arabian–led intervention in Yemen Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
Website: rapidsupportforce.com

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Wikidata facts

Instance of: paramilitary organization
Official name: قوات الدعم السريع
Country: Sudan
Official website: rsf.gov.sd
Image: Emblem of the Rapid Support Forces.png
Significant event: El Fasher massacre
Political ideology: anti-clericalism

Show 8 more facts

inception: 2013-00-00
short name: RSF
native label: قوات الدعم السريع
member of: Sudan Founding Alliance
partnership with: Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates
funder: United Arab Emirates
allegiance: United Arab Emirates
has characteristic: sadism

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Encyclopedic overview

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF; Arabic: قُوَّاتْ الدّعْمْ السَّرِيعْ, romanized: Quwwāt ad-daʿm as-sarīʿ) are a Sudanese paramilitary force formerly operated by the Sudanese government. They originated as auxiliary force militias known as the Janjaweed used by the Sudanese government during the War in Darfur, which the government later restructured as a paramilitary organization in August 2013 under the command of Muhammad Dagalo, better known by his nom de guerre Hemedti.

Since 2023, the RSF has been fighting a civil war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) for control of Sudan, after seizing power along with the SAF in the 2021 Sudanese coup d'état. In 2025, it established a parallel government called the Government of Peace and Unity.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Rapid Support Forces” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.