An anti-terrorism court in Port Sudan has sentenced Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, to death in absentia. The ruling, delivered Sunday, is tied to the June 2023 assassination of former West Darfur Governor Khamis Abdallah Abakar.
The Anti-Terrorism and Crimes Against the State Court also handed down death sentences in absentia to 15 other individuals. Among them are Hemedti’s brothers—RSF deputy leader Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo and Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa—alongside West Darfur RSF commander Abdel Rahman Juma and tribal leader Al-Tijani Al-Tahir Karshoum.
This judgment represents the first formal court verdict against the RSF leadership since the civil war between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese army began in April 2023.
The court found the defendants guilty of multiple severe charges, including:
War crimes, Crimes against humanity, Genocide, Crimes against persons and property
The judicial ruling held Hemedti directly responsible for planning and executing the crimes, while his deputy brother was convicted of planning and participating in them.
Background on the Allegations
The case stems from the death of Governor Abakar on June 14, 2023. Abakar was killed shortly after publicly accusing the RSF of attacking civilians in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. The Sudanese government alleged that the paramilitary group assassinated the governor and mutilated his body, accusations the RSF denied.
Beyond this specific assassination, Sudanese authorities and international human rights organizations have accused the RSF of widespread atrocities in El Geneina, including the targeted killing and displacement of thousands of members of the Masalit ethnic community.
The war in Sudan, which began over disagreements regarding the integration of the RSF into the national military, has created one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties and displacing millions of people.
