A Sudanese court has handed down death sentences in absentia to Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — commonly known as Hemedti — and 15 other individuals. The convictions relate to the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar and additional war crimes.
According to reports, the ruling was delivered on Sunday by a court in Port Sudan, which serves as the Sudanese army’s main administrative base. This marks the first judicial verdict against the RSF leadership since the conflict between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese army began in April 2023.
Sudan’s state news agency SUNA stated that the court found Dagalo and the other defendants guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and attacks on civilians and public infrastructure.
Among those sentenced are Dagalo’s brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, along with several RSF officers and tribal leaders from West Darfur communities.
The case centres on the death of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar in June 2023. He was killed shortly after RSF forces captured Al Geneina, the state capital. Abbakar had publicly accused the RSF and associated militias of targeting civilians just hours before his death.
United Nations experts estimate that between 10,000 and 15,000 people — mostly from the Massalit ethnic group — were killed in the violence in Al Geneina. The RSF has consistently rejected accusations of genocide and other war crimes.
The court indicated it would pursue the arrest and extradition of the convicted individuals through Interpol and other international avenues. The case has been referred to Sudan’s Supreme Court for further review.
The ongoing war between the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF started over disagreements regarding the integration of the paramilitary force into the national army.
Since then, the conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced more than 11 million people, and created what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.