In brief
The Sudanese court has sentenced RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – also known as Hemedti – to death in absentia for atrocities in West Darfur. Fifteen other senior RSF officers share the sentence. The trial, held under army control, linked Dagalo to the June 2023 death of governor Khamis Abbakar and widespread attacks on civilians, looting, and assaults on schools, places of worship and neighbourhoods in El Geneina. RSF has denied the charges, calling the trial a sham, while the court ordered confiscation of RSF assets and issued Interpol Red Notices. This conviction marks the first judicial sanction against RSF leadership since the 2023 civil war, which has displaced millions and left millions starving.
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces Leader Sentenced to Death in Absentia
The Sudanese court in Port Sudan has sentenced Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo – the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – to death for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in West Darfur.
In an in‑absentia trial held under army control, Dagalo, known by the nickname Hemedti, and fifteen other senior RSF officers were found guilty for the June 2023 killing of state governor Khamis Abbakar, attacks on civilians, widespread looting, and the targeting of schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods in the regional capital El‑Geneina.
RSF, still controlling large areas of western Sudan, has denied responsibility for alleged atrocities and called the trial a “sham.” The court ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and called for Interpol Red Notices to arrest the condemned.
This conviction is the first judicial sanction against RSF leadership since the civil war ignited in April 2023, a conflict that has already forced around 12 million people to flee and left an estimated 28 million civilians in acute hunger.
International and human‑rights organisations, including the UN and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly accused the RSF of ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit community in Darfur.
