RSF Leader Hemedti Sentenced to Death Over Alleged Darfur War Crimes as Sudan Court Orders Global Manhunt
Sudan’s paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, has been sentenced to death by a Sudanese court after being found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide linked to atrocities committed in the country’s conflict-ravaged West Darfur region.
The landmark ruling, delivered by a special court sitting in Port Sudan—the de facto seat of Sudan’s army-backed government—marks the first judicial conviction of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leadership since the country’s devastating civil war erupted in April 2023.
Hemedti, who remains at large, was convicted in absentia alongside 15 senior RSF commanders, all of whom received death sentences after the court concluded they played leading roles in orchestrating a campaign of violence against civilians in West Darfur.
Among those sentenced were RSF deputy commander Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, Hemedti’s brother, another brother Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and the force’s West Darfur commander Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah.
Court details killings, destruction and ethnic violence
During the proceedings, the court heard allegations that RSF commanders directed widespread attacks targeting civilians in el-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, where thousands of people were reportedly killed during some of the conflict’s worst atrocities.
The trial focused heavily on the June 2023 assassination of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar, who was abducted and later killed after publicly accusing the RSF of committing genocide against the ethnic Masalit community.
According to the ruling, the defendants were found guilty of coordinating attacks that resulted in:
- Mass killings of civilians.
- Widespread looting and destruction of homes and businesses.
- Attacks on schools, residential neighbourhoods and places of worship.
- Crimes amounting to genocide and crimes against humanity.
Presiding over the case, Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and directed Sudanese authorities to pursue Interpol Red Notices to facilitate the arrest and extradition of the convicted commanders.
RSF silent as international pressure mounts
The Rapid Support Forces had not publicly responded to the court’s ruling at the time of publication. However, the group has consistently denied accusations that it committed war crimes during the conflict.
Despite the historic verdict, analysts say its immediate practical impact remains uncertain, as the RSF continues to control significant territory across western Sudan while many of its senior leaders, including Hemedti, remain beyond the reach of government forces.
Hemedti’s current whereabouts have not been publicly disclosed.
UN and ICC investigations intensify
The ruling comes amid growing international scrutiny of alleged atrocities committed during Sudan’s civil war.
United Nations investigators and several international human rights organisations have repeatedly accused the RSF and allied Arab militias of carrying out ethnically motivated attacks against the Masalit population in Darfur.
Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court (ICC) said prosecutors had gathered “concrete evidence” linking senior RSF leaders to war crimes committed during the conflict.
A Human Rights Watch investigation published in May 2024 concluded that violence in and around el-Geneina between April and November 2023 killed thousands of civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
The organisation said the campaign amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity, describing it as an ethnic cleansing operation targeting the Masalit and other non-Arab communities.
Civil war continues to devastate Sudan
The conflict began in April 2023 after a bitter power struggle erupted between Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Hemedti, whose RSF had grown into one of the country’s most powerful armed groups.
Since then, Sudan has descended into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF have faced allegations of serious human rights abuses, with UN investigators accusing both sides of indiscriminate attacks against civilians and critical infrastructure, including hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Humanitarian agencies estimate that more than 150,000 people have been killed, while around 12 million people have been displaced from their homes. Nearly 28 million Sudanese are now facing acute hunger, according to aid organisations, as fighting continues to devastate large parts of the country.
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