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Sudan's Port Sudan court sentences RSF leader Hemedti and 15 others to death in absentia for Darfur war crimes

A court in Port Sudan sentenced Rapid Support Forces paramilitary leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, and 15 co-defendants to death in absentia on July 12, convicting them of killing West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar and of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur; the ruling is the first against RSF leadership since Sudan's civil war began in April 2023

Conflicts·Courts· active Who Decides·How Wars Actually End ·5 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jul 13, 2026
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The split

The same story, as told by newsrooms in different countries. Their words, attributed and linked.

Saudi Arabia

Arab News

“A Sudanese court sentenced Dagalo and 15 others to death in absentia for killing a regional governor and committing war crimes in Darfur, in the first such ruling since April 2023.”

Gulf, factual AFP-backed first reportread the original ↗

London / pan-Arab

Asharq Al-Awsat

“The court convicted Dagalo and others of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and attacks on civilians, the first ruling against RSF leadership since April 2023.”

pan-Arab, full charge-sheet framingread the original ↗

South Sudan

Eye Radio

“A Sudanese court sentenced RSF leader Dagalo and 15 others to death in absentia over the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar and other war crimes.”

South Sudanese independent broadcaster, regional African perspectiveread the original ↗

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Summary

A court in Port Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces' de facto administrative capital, sentenced Sudan War paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ("Hemedti") and 15 co-defendants to death in absentia on July 12. The charges cover the killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar and war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur, according to Sudanese state media. The verdict is the first judicial ruling against RSF leadership since Sudan War erupted in April 2023. Asharq Al-Awsat and Arab News (Gulf) led on the full charge-sheet; Eye Radio (South Sudan) emphasised the symbolic weight of naming the governor's killing as the lead count.

Why it matters

The ruling is symbolic in the near term: Hemedti operates from territory the Port Sudan judiciary cannot reach, making enforcement unenforceable now. It nonetheless establishes a formal legal record of RSF command responsibility for Darfur atrocities, which bears on future ICC referrals, African Union engagement and any post-war accountability process, particularly given the findings in Amnesty: RSF committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in El Fasher.

What to watch

  • Whether the ruling prompts ICC or African Union engagement on a parallel international proceeding.
  • RSF and Hemedti response, and whether the verdict is used as a propaganda tool to frame the SAF judiciary as illegitimate.
  • Any shift in UAE, Saudi or Libyan positions on RSF support following a formal genocide conviction on record.

The briefing, by email