A Sudanese court has sentenced Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and widely known by his nickname Hemedti — to death for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The ruling, issued on Sunday by a court in Port Sudan, the Red Sea city that serves as the base of the Sudanese army's administration, also condemned 15 senior RSF figures in absentia, including Hemedti's brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and the RSF's West Darfur commander, Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah. The presiding judge ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and instructed authorities to pursue Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of those convicted.

The trial centred on the killing of West Darfur's state governor, Khamis Abbakar, in June 2023 in el-Geneina, the regional capital — a city in Sudan's westernmost state bordering Chad. Abbakar, who belonged to the Masalit ethnic community, was killed shortly after publicly accusing the RSF and allied Arab militias of targeting civilians. UN experts have estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 people, the vast majority from the Masalit group, were killed in and around el-Geneina during the violence that accompanied the RSF's seizure of the city. The court also found the defendants guilty of orchestrating widespread destruction, looting, and attacks on schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods.

This is the first judicial conviction of RSF leadership since Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023, when a power struggle between Hemedti and Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan — partly rooted in disagreements over plans to integrate the RSF into the regular armed forces — exploded into open conflict. The two men had previously been close allies, jointly leading a 2021 military coup that derailed Sudan's transition to civilian rule. Hemedti's current whereabouts are not publicly known, and the RSF continues to control large parts of western Sudan, leaving the practical reach of the verdict uncertain. A political alliance aligned with the RSF dismissed the proceedings as a "sham trial" that "does not even deserve a comment."

The ruling carries symbolic and legal weight nonetheless. Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court's deputy chief prosecutor stated that investigators hold "concrete evidence" linking RSF leaders to war crimes, and the United States has previously determined that the RSF and allied militias committed genocide in Darfur, imposing sanctions on both Hemedti and his brother. The European Union has also sanctioned Abdelrahim Dagalo over allegations of serious violations. Both sides in the conflict have faced international scrutiny: UN investigators found that the Sudanese army also targeted civilians and vital infrastructure, including medical facilities.

Sudan's civil war, now in its fourth year, has produced one of the world's gravest humanitarian catastrophes. More than 150,000 people are estimated to have died, over 11 to 12 million have been displaced, and around 28 million face acute hunger, according to aid agencies and the United Nations. The death sentence handed down in Port Sudan, whatever its enforceability, marks the first formal legal reckoning for the RSF's leadership — a milestone in a conflict that has drawn growing calls for international accountability.