A Sudanese court has handed down a death sentence to the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, popularly known as Hemedti, for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed in the West Darfur region.
The landmark ruling comes as Sudan's devastating civil war enters its fourth year, with no end in sight to the suffering of millions of civilians caught in the crossfire.
The Anti-Terrorism and Crimes Against the State Court in Port Sudan, which is under the control of the Sudanese army, convicted Hemedti in absentia along with 15 other senior RSF members.
Among those sentenced to death are 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.
Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin presided over the case and ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets in favour of the Sudanese government.
The court has also directed authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of all those convicted.
The Atrocities That Led to the Verdict
The trial centred on alleged atrocities committed in el-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, including the June 2023 killing of the state governor, Khamis Abbakar.
Abbakar was killed on June 14, 2023, shortly after he was detained by RSF fighters. He had been recorded on video accusing the paramilitary forces of attacking civilians in West Darfur, and the Sudanese government alleged that the RSF not only killed him but also mutilated his body.
The court found the 16 defendants guilty of orchestrating attacks on civilians, causing widespread destruction and looting of property, and deliberately targeting schools, places of worship, and residential neighbourhoods. According to UN experts, between 10,000 and 15,000 people, mostly from the Massalit ethnic group, were killed in el-Geneina during the violence.
In May 2024, Human Rights Watch published a report titled "The Massalit Will Not Come Home," which documented the campaign of ethnic cleansing in and around el-Geneina between April and November 2023.
The rights organisation said the abuses amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities.
The report found that adolescent boys and men were especially singled out for killings, but among those unlawfully killed were also many children and women.
How Sudan Descended into Chaos
Sudan was plunged into civil war in April 2023 after a vicious power struggle erupted between two former allies: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the leader of the Sudanese army, and Hemedti, the head of the RSF.
The two generals had jointly led the 2021 coup that derailed Sudan's transition to civilian rule. However, they fell out over plans to integrate the RSF into the regular army, a dispute that eventually spiralled into full-blown war.
What began as a power struggle between two ambitious generals has since evolved into one of the world's most devastating conflicts.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted millions, creating what the United Nations has described as the world's largest displacement and hunger crises.
More than 150,000 people have died, and an estimated 12 million have been forced to flee their homes. Aid agencies say around 28 million people are facing acute hunger.
A Humanitarian Catastrophe Unfolding
The scale of suffering in Sudan is almost unimaginable. According to a UN-backed report, 638,000 people are now facing catastrophic levels of hunger, with a further 8.1 million on the brink of famine. Between December and May, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification projected that 24.6 million people representing around half of Sudan's population would face "high levels of acute food insecurity".
The World Food Programme has warned that some areas of intense conflict may already be experiencing famine conditions.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reported that over 300 children have been killed or injured in the last six months alone, mostly from drone strikes.
The conflict is now concentrated in the Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile states, with drone warfare causing 60 per cent of casualties.
UNICEF Representative for Sudan Sheldon Yett has said that children are being caught in a relentless cycle of violence, displacement, and deprivation.
International Criminal Court Builds Its Case
Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court's deputy chief prosecutor said they have "concrete evidence" linking RSF leaders to war crimes.
In a briefing to the UN Security Council in January 2026, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan stated that the situation in Darfur had "darkened even further," with civilians subjected to what she described as collective torture amid the widening war.
She cited a pattern of large-scale crimes against humanity that is being repeated "in town after town" across the Darfur region.
Last year, UN investigators found that both the Sudanese army and the RSF had targeted civilians and vital infrastructure, including medical facilities, in large-scale attacks.
The UN's Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan concluded that both warring factions are committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The report, titled "A War of Atrocities," found that the rival forces had directed large-scale attacks against civilians, constituting serious violations of international law.
Both sides have been accused of committing human rights abuses and war crimes. The RSF and allied Arab militias have been accused of carrying out ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit population in Darfur.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has concluded that the RSF committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to seize El Fasher in North Darfur state.
What This Verdict Means
This ruling is the first judicial conviction of the RSF's leadership since the civil war broke out. However, its practical impact remains unclear. The RSF continues to control large parts of western Sudan, and its leaders remain beyond the reach of the army.
Hemedti's whereabouts are not publicly known, though there have been reports suggesting he remains on Sudanese soil in RSF-held territory. The RSF has not commented on the verdict but has previously rejected accusations of war crimes.
The court has said it will refer the case to the Supreme Court for review and will seek the arrest and extradition of those convicted through Interpol and other international channels.
The court also ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets. Yet for the millions of Sudanese people who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods, this verdict offers little immediate relief.
As the war grinds on with no ceasefire in sight, the people of Sudan continue to pay the heaviest price.
The UN, US, UK, and others have expressed alarm about potential atrocities as the RSF and the military fight for control of strategic cities.
The world watches but for the Sudanese, watching is not enough. They need peace, they need justice, and they need it now.
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