Sudanese Court Sentences RSF Leader Daglo to Death in Absentia, Over Darfur Atrocities
A Sudanese court sitting in the army-controlled city of Port Sudan has sentenced Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, widely known as Hemedti, and 15 of his associates to death in absentia after finding them guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and the June 2023 assassination of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abdallah Abakar.
The ruling marks one of the Sudanese military government’s most significant legal actions since the country’s civil war erupted in April 2023, underscoring its determination to hold senior RSF leaders accountable despite the conflict continuing across large parts of the country. Because Daglo and the other convicted officials remain outside government custody, the sentences were delivered in absentia.
According to the court, Daglo and the co-defendants were responsible for orchestrating the kidnapping and killing of Governor Abakar, whose death became a defining moment in the conflict after he publicly accused RSF forces and allied militias of carrying out ethnic violence in West Darfur shortly before he was killed.
The court also found the defendants guilty of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for their alleged role in systematic attacks on civilians, particularly members of the Massalit ethnic community in El Geneina. Prosecutors argued that the violence involved coordinated killings, forced displacement and widespread destruction of homes and public infrastructure, leaving entire communities devastated.
The verdict reflects growing concern over the scale of atrocities committed during the siege of El Geneina, where United Nations experts have estimated that as many as 15,000 people were killed. The violence displaced hundreds of thousands of residents, many of whom fled to neighboring Chad, where families continue to depend on humanitarian assistance while facing uncertain prospects of returning home.
In respect the legal judgment, the case highlights the wider humanitarian and economic toll of Sudan’s conflict. Fighting in Darfur has crippled local markets, disrupted farming and livestock production, destroyed transport routes and severely limited access to healthcare and education. Communities that once relied on cross-border trade and agriculture have seen livelihoods collapse, deepening poverty and increasing dependence on international aid.
In the views of survivors, the court’s decision represents a symbolic step toward accountability, though many victims and human rights advocates argue that justice will remain incomplete unless those convicted are arrested and brought before the court. The continued conflict has also complicated efforts to rebuild communities, restore public services and create conditions for economic recovery.
The ruling comes as Sudan faces one of the world’s largest displacement crises, with millions forced from their homes and humanitarian agencies warning that prolonged insecurity is worsening food shortages, disease outbreaks and economic hardship. Analysts say that while judicial actions may strengthen calls for accountability, lasting stability and economic recovery will depend on an end to hostilities, the restoration of civilian institutions and credible justice mechanisms capable of addressing the widespread abuses committed during the war.
