Sudanese Court Sentences Hemedti to Death Over War Crimes

A court in Sudan has sentenced the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, to death for crimes committed in West Darfur.

The court in Port Sudan found him guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide even though he was not present.

On Monday, the court gave him and five other RSF members the death penalty for the same crimes. Those sentenced include Hemedti’s brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Dagalo, and the RSF’s commander in West Darfur, Abdul Rahman Barkallah.

Al Jazeera reports that the court also ordered all RSF assets to be seized. They also issued Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of the convicted members.

This is the first time leaders of the RSF have been convicted since the civil war began in 2023.

The trial mainly focused on the RSF’s actions in el-Geneina, the regional capital where many serious crimes were reportedly committed.

These crimes include the killing of thousands of civilians, mostly from the Massalit ethnic group, sexual violence, looting, and forcing many people to leave their homes.

Sudan has a long history of violence, but the current civil war started due to a fierce power struggle. The Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is fighting against the powerful RSF led by Hemedti.

The conflict arose mainly over plans to merge the RSF into the Sudanese army and who would lead the new force. Both leaders wanted to keep their power, which led to the war that began in Khartoum and then spread across the country.

The war has caused famine and genocide in the western region of Darfur controlled by the RSF. More than 150,000 people have died in the fighting, and around 12 million have been forced to leave their homes.

The United Nations has identified Sudan as having the world’s worst health and humanitarian crisis. The UN and other rights groups have accused the RSF of carrying out attacks targeting the Masalit people in West Darfur. The deputy chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has also said there is “concrete evidence” linking RSF leaders to war crimes. The RSF has denied these accusations.

The Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF, has called the court proceedings a “sham trial” that “does not even deserve a comment.”

The RSF has not yet responded to the conviction.

Meanwhile, nobody knows where Hemedti is right now.