By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Sudan , July 13, 2026 - A Sudanese court has sentenced Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti, to death in absentia over war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed during the conflict in West Darfur, marking the first judicial conviction of the paramilitary group's top leadership since Sudan's civil war began.
The ruling, delivered by an anti-terrorism court in Port Sudan, also sentenced 15 senior RSF commanders to death over atrocities allegedly committed during the war, including the 2023 killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar.
Among those convicted were Hemedti's brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and RSF West Darfur commander Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah.
The court found the defendants guilty of orchestrating attacks on civilians, widespread destruction and looting of property, and targeting schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods in El Geneina and surrounding areas.
Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin also ordered the confiscation of RSF assets and directed authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices to facilitate the arrest and extradition of those convicted.
The RSF has not responded to the verdict but has consistently denied allegations of war crimes throughout the conflict.
The judgment comes just days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced a breakthrough in its own investigation into atrocities in Darfur.
ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan recently revealed that investigators had obtained "strong evidence" linking crimes committed in Darfur to senior leadership.
"We have got additional evidence, strong evidence, linking what is occurring in Darfur with leadership levels. We are very, very pleased to say that this is a breakthrough for us," Khan said.
The ICC is investigating attacks on El Geneina in 2023 and El Fasher in 2025, where UN investigators say the RSF carried out attacks bearing the "hallmarks of genocide" against non-Arab communities.
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Human rights organisations have also documented widespread abuses during the conflict.
A Human Rights Watch report published in 2024 concluded that attacks in and around El Geneina killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands, describing the campaign as ethnic cleansing against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities.
The latest court ruling also comes amid continued diplomatic scrutiny over Hemedti's links with Kenya.
President William Ruto hosted the RSF leader at State House in January 2024 as part of regional peace efforts under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a move that drew sharp criticism from Sudan's military-led government.
Relations between Nairobi and Khartoum deteriorated further in February 2025 after RSF-linked figures met in Nairobi to announce plans for a parallel administration in Sudan. Sudan accused Kenya of undermining its sovereignty and later recalled its ambassador.
Kenya has repeatedly denied backing the RSF, insisting its engagement with all parties to the conflict is aimed solely at facilitating dialogue and advancing peace.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF under Hemedti following a power struggle.
According to humanitarian agencies, the war has claimed more than 150,000 lives, displaced an estimated 12 million people, and left 28 million in need of humanitarian assistance, making it one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.