A Sudanese court has handed down an RSF chief death sentence against Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The court convicted Dagalo, known as Hemedti, of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide over atrocities committed in West Darfur.
The court in Port Sudan, a city under army rule, convicted Dagalo in absentia. It handed the same sentence to 15 other senior RSF members. The Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF, told the BBC the proceedings amounted to a sham trial that did not deserve comment.
What the Trial Covered
The trial centred on alleged atrocities in the regional capital el-Geneina. These included the June 2023 killing of the state governor, Khamis Abbakar. The court also found the 16 defendants guilty of orchestrating attacks on civilians, widespread destruction and looting of property, and the targeting of schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods.
Those sentenced included Hemedti’s brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and the RSF’s West Darfur commander, Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah. The RSF has not directly commented on the verdict, though it has previously rejected accusations of war crimes throughout the conflict.
Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets. He also instructed authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of those convicted.
First Conviction, But Impact Unclear
This ruling marks the first judicial conviction of RSF leadership since Sudan’s civil war began. Its practical impact remains uncertain, however, since the group still controls large parts of western Sudan and its leaders remain beyond the army’s reach. Hemedti’s whereabouts are not publicly known.
UN investigators and human rights organisations have accused the RSF and allied Arab militias of carrying out ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit population in Darfur. Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court’s deputy chief prosecutor said the court has gathered concrete evidence linking RSF leaders to war crimes.
A Campaign Rights Groups Call Ethnic Cleansing
In May 2024, Human Rights Watch reported that the campaign in and around el-Geneina between April and November 2023 killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. The organisation said the abuses amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, carried out as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities.
Both sides in Sudan’s war have faced accusations of abuses. UN investigators reported last year that both the Sudanese army and the RSF had targeted civilians and vital infrastructure, including medical facilities, in large-scale attacks.
Background to the Conflict
Sudan descended into civil war in April 2023 after a power struggle erupted between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti. More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict, and an estimated 12 million more have fled their homes. Aid agencies say around 28 million people are now facing acute hunger.
