In brief
A Sudanese court has handed a death sentence to RSF commander Hemedti for atrocities in West Darfur, including the killing of a governor and ethnic cleansing of the Masalit. The verdict was issued while the leader was in exile, sparking criticism from the RSF and raising questions over enforcement. The ruling marks the first judicial conviction of RSF leadership amid the ongoing civil war that has left millions dead or displaced.
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, has been condemned to death by a court in Port Sudan for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
The decision was delivered in absentia and joined by 15 other senior RSF members – including Hemedti’s brothers and the West Darfur RSF commander – who received identical sentences.
The court focused on atrocities in el‑Geneina, the regional capital of West Darfur, such as the June 2023 killing of the state governor Khamis Abbakar, the systematic looting and destruction of villages, and the targeted attacks on schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods.
RSF officials rejected the verdict, calling the trial a “sham” that does not merit comment. The RSF has consistently denied allegations of war crimes throughout the conflict.
Special Judge Mohamed Al‑Amin ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and asked authorities to issue Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of the convicted officers.
While this is the first judicial conviction of RSF leadership since the outbreak of civil war, its practical impact remains uncertain as the group still controls large swathes of western Sudan and its leaders are not within the army’s reach.
RSF whereabouts are unknown. Human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have accused RSF and allied Arab militias of ethnically targeting the Masalit population in Darfur.
Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court’s deputy chief prosecutor said there was “concrete evidence” linking RSF leaders to war crimes.
The conflict began in April 2023 after a violent power struggle between Sudanese army commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan and Hemedti took the country into civil war, leaving more than 150,000 people dead, 12 million displaced, and 28 million facing acute hunger.
