Sudan RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo sentenced to death in absentia

A Sudanese anti‑terrorism court in the army‑controlled city of Port Sudan sentenced Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, and 15 senior RSF figures to death in absentia. The defendants were convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and attacks on civilians and public facilities, primarily for the June 2023 killing of West Darfur governor Khamis Abbakar and the mass atrocities committed in the regional capital El‑Geneina, where UN experts estimate 10,000‑15,000 people, mostly from the Massalit community, were killed.

The ruling is the first judicial action against RSF leadership since the Sudanese civil war erupted in April 2023. The court said it will refer the case to the Supreme Court for review and will seek the arrest and extradition of the convicted through Interpol and other international channels. While the RSF denies the allegations, the conflict has already caused tens of thousands of deaths, displaced more than 11 million people and created what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crises.