A Sudanese court has sentenced the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Dagalo, known as Hemedti, to death over atrocities committed in West Darfur.
The court in Port Sudan convicted and sentenced him for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in absentia.
Mr Dagalo was on Monday sentenced to death in absentia alongside five other RSF members for the same crime. Those sentenced include Hemedti’s brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Dagalo, and the RSF’s West Darfur commander, Abdul Rahman Barkallah.
Al Jazeera reports that the court also ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and the issuance of Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of those convicted.
This is the first legal conviction of leaders of the paramilitary group since the civil war broke out in 2023.
The trial focused primarily on the RSF’s actions in el-Geneina, the regional capital where some of the most heinous atrocities in West Darfur were allegedly carried out.
This includes the killing of thousands of civilians, mostly members of the Massalit ethnic community, sexual violence, looting and the forced displacement of many.
Although Sudan has had a long history of violence, the current civil war broke out due to a vicious struggle for power between the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and a powerful paramilitary RSF led by Hemedti.
The main points of discord were over plans to integrate the RSF into the Sudanese army and who would control the new force, as both leaders desperately wanted to hold onto their positions. The war broke out in Khartoum and eventually spread to other parts of the country.
The war led to famine and genocide in the western Darfur region captured by the RSF. More than 150,000 people have died in the conflict across the country, and about 12 million have fled their homes. #
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The United Nations identified Sudan as the country with the world’s largest health and humanitarian crisis. The body, alongside other rights organisations, has accused the RSF of ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit population in West Darfur. The International Criminal Court’s deputy chief prosecutor also previously stated there was “concrete evidence” linking RSF leaders to war crimes. The paramilitary body has, however, previously rejected these allegations.
The Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF, has also described the Sudan court proceedings as a “sham trial” that “does not even deserve a comment.”
The paramilitary group has yet to comment on the conviction.
Meanwhile, Hemedti’s whereabouts remain unknown.
