A Sudanese court has sentenced Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide linked to atrocities committed in West Darfur during Sudan’s ongoing civil war. The ruling, delivered by a special court in Port Sudan, also sentenced 15 senior members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to death on similar charges. The case focused on alleged crimes committed in and around El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, including the June 2023 killing of then-Governor Khamis Abbakar. The court found the defendants guilty of orchestrating attacks on civilians, widespread destruction and looting, as well as targeting schools, places of worship and residential communities.
Those convicted include Hemedti’s deputy and brother, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and RSF commander Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah. Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin ordered the confiscation of RSF assets and directed Sudanese authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of the convicted individuals, whose whereabouts remain unknown. The RSF has not responded to the verdict but has consistently denied allegations of committing war crimes during the conflict. The judgment marks the first conviction of the RSF’s top leadership since fighting erupted in April 2023 between forces loyal to Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti. However, the practical impact of the ruling remains uncertain, as the RSF continues to control significant parts of western Sudan.
International investigators have repeatedly accused the RSF and allied Arab militias of carrying out ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit community in Darfur. Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court said it had obtained “concrete evidence” linking RSF leaders to war crimes. A 2024 report by Human Rights Watch concluded that attacks in El Geneina between April and November 2023 killed thousands of people, displaced hundreds of thousands and amounted to war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities. The United Nations has also accused both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF of committing serious human rights violations during the conflict, including attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure. Since the war began in April 2023, more than 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed, while over 12 million have been displaced. Humanitarian agencies warn that nearly 28 million people now face acute food insecurity, making Sudan one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
