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Hemedti sentenced in absentia
A Sudanese anti-terrorism court in Port Sudan sentenced Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, to death in absentia for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide tied to atrocities in West Darfur.
“A court in the Sudanese army-controlled city of Port Sudan has sentenced Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti, and 15 others to death in absentia over charges linked to the killing of a regional governor and atrocities committed in Darfur”
The court convicted Hemedti alongside 15 other senior Rapid Support Forces (RSF) members, and it also ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and instructed authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices for arrest and extradition.
The ruling centered on the killing of West Darfur governor Khamis Abbakar, with the court finding the defendants guilty of orchestrating attacks on civilians, widespread destruction and looting, and targeting schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods.
BBC reported that the trial centred on alleged atrocities committed in the regional capital el-Geneina, including the June 2023 killing of the state governor, Khamis Abbakar, and that the court convicted 16 defendants of orchestrating attacks on civilians, widespread destruction and looting of property, and targeting schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods.
The BBC also said the Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF, told it the verdict was "sham trial" that "does not even deserve a comment."
RSF denial and legal steps
The court’s death sentence was delivered on Sunday by the Anti-Terrorism and Crimes Against the State Court in Port Sudan, and it was described as the first judicial verdict against RSF leadership since the conflict began in April 2023.
Channel Africa said the court convicted Dagalo in absentia along with 15 other senior RSF members who were given the same sentence, and it reported that the RSF has not commented on the verdict but previously rejected accusations of war crimes during the conflict.
The BBC said Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and instructed authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of those convicted.
In Port Sudan, the court also handed death sentences in absentia to RSF deputy commander Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo and other defendants, including Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, commonly known as Al-Qoni, and RSF West Darfur commander Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah.
The BBC added that Hemedti’s whereabouts are not publicly known and that the ruling’s impact remains unclear as the group continues to control large parts of western Sudan and its leaders remain beyond the reach of the army.
Humanitarian stakes and accountability
Beyond the courtroom ruling, the sources tied the case to ongoing humanitarian conditions, including aid agencies’ warnings that around 28 million people face acute hunger.
Oz Arab Media said the conflict has had a severe humanitarian toll, with more than 150,000 people dead and about 12 million estimated to have fled their homes, while aid agencies say around 28 million people face acute hunger.
IDN-InDepthNews reported that the World Health Organisation warned Sudan’s cholera outbreak may intensify as fighting continues and the rainy season approaches, with officials noting over 100 deaths and more than 1,300 cases while the real toll is likely higher.
IDN-InDepthNews also described a government effort to exhume, document, notify families, and rebury bodies, saying that 27 victim bodies were moved from Khartoum’s temporary graves in markets and homes to official cemeteries to clear burial sites before the rainy season starts.
The stakes for accountability were underscored by the court’s instruction to seek Interpol Red Notices for arrest and extradition, while the sources also said UN investigators and human rights organisations have accused the RSF and allied Arab militias of ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit population in Darfur.
