Sudan sentences RSF paramilitary chief to death over war crimes

Where Diplomacy Meets News

Sudan sentences RSF paramilitary chief to death over war crimes

July 13, 2026

DUBAI,— A court in Sudan has sentenced Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, to death after finding him guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide linked to atrocities in West Darfur, BBC reported.

The ruling came from a court in Port Sudan, a city held by the Sudanese army.

Judges convicted Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, without his presence in the courtroom. Fifteen other senior RSF figures received the same death sentence.

The RSF has stayed silent on the verdict. In the past, the group has denied claims that it committed war crimes.

The case focused on violence in el-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, including the killing of state governor Khamis Abbakar in June 2023.

Judges ruled that all 16 defendants took part in planning attacks on civilians, large-scale destruction, looting, and strikes on schools, houses of worship and residential areas.

Those sentenced include Hemedti’s brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, a second brother, Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah, who led RSF forces in West Darfur.

Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin ordered that all RSF property be seized. He also directed officials to request Interpol Red Notices so the convicted men can be tracked down, arrested and handed over for punishment.

This marks the first time a court has convicted RSF leaders since Sudan’s war began.

Still, it is unclear what real effect the ruling will have, since the group still holds much of western Sudan and its commanders remain out of the army’s reach. Hemedti’s current location is not known.

Human rights groups and United Nations investigators say the RSF, along with allied Arab militias, carried out attacks aimed at the Masalit ethnic group in Darfur.

Earlier this month, a deputy prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said solid evidence ties RSF commanders to war crimes.

A Human Rights Watch report from May 2024 said the operation around el-Geneina between April and November 2023 left thousands dead and pushed hundreds of thousands from their homes.

The group said the violence met the standard for war crimes and crimes against humanity, carried out as part of an ethnic cleansing drive against the Masalit and other non-Arab groups.

Rights investigators have also accused both the Sudanese military and the RSF of striking civilians and infrastructure, including hospitals.

The war began in April 2023 after a power struggle erupted between army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti.

More than 150,000 people have died, and 12 million have been displaced. Aid groups estimate 28 million face severe hunger.

The European Parliament has blamed the United Arab Emirates for helping drive Sudan’s civil war, the first time it has done so, in a resolution adopted on July 8, 2026, that also addressed attacks by the Rapid Support Forces in El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state.

The vote marks a turning point. For the first time, the parliament directly named the UAE as a country fueling the conflict, and called for steps to end that support.

(With files from BBC, Agencies)