Sudan Court sentences RSF leader Hemedti to death for Darfur atrocities
A Sudanese court has sentenced paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo better known as Hemedti to death for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The verdict specifically targets atrocities committed in West Darfur, including the brutal June 2023 killing of state governor Khamis Abbakar.
The Port Sudan court, operating firmly under army control, convicted Hemedti in absentia along with 15 other senior RSF members. Among them are his brother and deputy Abdelrahim, another brother Al-Qoni, and the group’s West Darfur commander. All received the same death penalty.
The trial centered on a devastating campaign in el-Geneina between April and November 2023.
Prosecutors presented evidence of widespread attacks on civilians, systematic destruction of property, and deliberate targeting of schools and places of worship.
However, the Sudan Founding Alliance which includes the RSF dismissed the proceeding as a « sham trial » unworthy of comment. The RSF has yet to formally respond, though it has consistently denied war crimes allegations in the past.
This ruling marks the first judicial conviction against the RSF’s leadership since the civil war erupted in April 2023.
Yet its practical impact remains highly uncertain. The group continues to control vast swathes of western Sudan, and its leaders remain completely beyond the army’s reach. Hemedti’s current whereabouts are unknown.
UN investigators and Human Rights Watch have documented ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit population in Darfur. The ICC’s deputy chief prosecutor recently confirmed having « concrete evidence » linking RSF leaders to war crimes.
Both sides face accusations of abuses. UN investigators last year found that both the army and RSF targeted civilians and vital infrastructure. The conflict, born from a vicious power struggle between Hemedti and army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has since devastated the nation.
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