Chad has freed Youssef Ezzat, the former political adviser to Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander, without charge after about 13 months in detention in N’Djamena, his family said on 14 November.
The release closes a case that drew attention to Chad’s role on the edge of Sudan’s war, as both a host to Sudanese refugees and a country accused by the Sudanese army of backing the RSF, which N’Djamena denies.
What did Youssef Ezzat’s family say?
Mohamed Ibrahim Ezzat, his brother, said in a statement that the Chadian authorities released Youssef Ezzat on 12 November on the order of the senior public prosecutor in N’Djamena, without bringing any charges, Sudan Tribune reported (in Arabic).
According to the family, Chadian forces detained him on 11 October 2025 at the Adre crossing between eastern Chad and Sudan’s West Darfur state, as he returned from N’Djamena on his way to El Geneina to visit relatives. Two of his cousins were held with him, and the family says procedures for their release are still under way.
The family said he was held throughout in a prison run by Chad’s national security and intelligence agency, and that relatives did not learn where he was until his release. The statement named the officer who made the arrest as a Chadian general close to RSF commanders. The family did not explain the reasons for the detention and said it would give more details later.
Chad’s government has not commented on the arrest or the release, and none of the reports reviewed carried a statement from it.
Who is Youssef Ezzat?
Youssef Ezzat, also written Yousif Ibrahim Ezzat, became political adviser to Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, in early 2021, when the RSF commander was deputy head of Sudan’s Sovereign Council. After war broke out between the RSF and the army on 15 April 2023, he became the force’s first spokesman and toured neighbouring countries as Hemedti’s envoy, Sudan Tribune said.
The RSF announced his dismissal in July 2024 without giving reasons. Youssef Ezzat said at the time that he had asked to step down, and Sudan Tribune has described the split as the result of disagreements over the force’s political line.
Why was Youssef Ezzat detained?
No official reason has been given. Sudan Tribune reported that his relatives had accused the RSF of being behind the arrest, citing close ties between RSF leaders and the Chadian government. Darfur24 reported (in Arabic) that the arrest was made at the RSF’s urging, after reports that he planned to visit Musa Hilal, the leader of the Revolutionary Awakening Council. The RSF has not commented, and these accounts could not be independently verified.
In a video recorded after his release, Youssef Ezzat said he had been freed by a decision of the Chadian prosecution following international and community efforts, without giving details, and that he had left Chad, Tag Press reported (in Arabic).
What does the case say about Chad and the Sudan war?
Adre is the main crossing between Chad and Darfur for refugees and humanitarian aid, according to the UN refugee agency. Sudan’s army-led government has accused Chad of allowing weapons to reach the RSF across its territory, which Chad denies; a UN probe into foreign fighters and weapons networks has examined the supply routes feeding the war.
The case comes as the army presses an offensive in Kordofan, where it claimed its first gain in West Kordofan this week, and as aid cuts leave 900,000 Sudanese without food assistance, according to the World Food Programme. Youssef Ezzat has not said what he plans to do next.
FAQ
Who is Youssef Ezzat?
He is a former political adviser to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and was the RSF’s first spokesman after Sudan’s war began in April 2023. The RSF dismissed him in July 2024.
When was Youssef Ezzat released?
His family says Chad freed him on 12 November 2026, without charge, on the order of the senior prosecutor in N’Djamena, after about 13 months in detention.
Why was he arrested?
No official reason has been given. His family and some Sudanese outlets have linked the arrest to the RSF; the RSF and Chad have not commented.
