A Sudanese court has sentenced the leader of the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to the death penalty for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for atrocities committed in the West Darfur region.
Courthouse in Port Sudan, a city under military rule, sentenced Dagalo – known as Hemedti – in absentia, along with 15 other senior members of the RSF, to the same sentence.
The Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes RSF, told the BBC it was a “bogus case” and “not even worthy of comment”.
The case centers on alleged atrocities committed in the regional capital of el-Geneina, including the June 2023 assassination of the state’s governor, Khamis Abbakar.
The court also found 16 defendants guilty of planning to attack civilians, destroy the entire area and loot property, and target schools, places of worship and residential areas.
Among those sentenced are Hemedti’s brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and the RSF commander in West Darfur, Abdel Rahman Juma Barkallah.
RSF has not commented directly on the decision, but has previously dismissed allegations of war crimes during the conflict.
Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and ordered authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of those convicted.
The verdict is the first conviction of the RSF leadership since the civil war broke out, however its impact remains unclear as the group continues to control large parts of western Sudan and its leaders remain beyond the military’s control.
Hemedti’s whereabouts are not publicly known.
UN investigators and human rights groups have accused the RSF and Arab-allied forces of carrying out attacks against the Masalit people in Darfur.
Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court’s deputy chief prosecutor said they had “substantial evidence” linking RSF leaders to war crimes.
In May 2024, a report by Human Rights Watch stated 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 rights group said the abuse amounted to war crimes and crimes committed as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities.
Both sides have been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes. Last year, United Nations investigators , outsidefound that the Sudanese army and the RSF were targeting civilians and critical infrastructure, such as medical facilities in large-scale attacks.
Sudan descended into civil war in April 2023 after a bitter power struggle erupted between Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti.
More than 150,000 people have died and another 12 million are estimated to have fled their homes during the conflict. Aid agencies say there are about 28 million people facing hunger.
