A Sudanese court has sentenced Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, and 15 other senior commanders to death in absentia after convicting them of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide linked to atrocities committed in Sudan’s western Darfur region.
The ruling was delivered by the Anti-Terrorism and Crimes Against the State Court sitting in Port Sudan, the seat of Sudan’s military-backed government. It marks the first court judgment against the RSF leadership since the conflict between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) erupted in April 2023.
According to Sudanese state media, the court found Hemedti, his brother and RSF deputy Abdel Rahim Dagalo, and 14 other commanders guilty over crimes committed in West Darfur, including the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abdullah Abakar in 2023. The defendants were convicted of offences including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide arising from attacks in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State.
The court ordered that the death sentences be carried out by hanging. Since all 16 defendants are believed to be outside the control of Sudan’s military authorities, the sentences were issued in absentia. The court also reportedly directed the issuance of international notices to facilitate their arrest.
The conflict in Sudan has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with thousands killed and millions displaced since fighting broke out between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF under Hemedti. Darfur has witnessed some of the conflict’s gravest atrocities, with the United Nations and international rights groups accusing armed actors of widespread attacks against civilians.
International investigators have been examining alleged atrocities committed during the conflict. Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said it had made significant progress in gathering evidence linking senior leadership figures to crimes committed in Darfur, although it has not publicly identified specific suspects.
The RSF has consistently denied allegations of genocide and other war crimes. As of the time of filing this report, neither Hemedti nor the paramilitary group had publicly responded to the latest court ruling.
