Sudan Sentences RSF Chief Hemedti to Death in Landmark Ruling
A Sudanese court has sentenced paramilitary leader Hemedti to death, marking the first legal conviction of the Rapid Support Forces since the 2023 civil war began.
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A Sudanese court has sentenced Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), to death, according to a ruling reported on 14 July 2026. The verdict, delivered in Port Sudan, centers on charges related to atrocities committed in West Darfur during the ongoing civil conflict.
The trial, which focused on the conduct of senior paramilitary leaders in West Darfur, represents a significant legal development in the war that erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. According to Premium Times, this is the first legal conviction of a senior figure within the RSF since the outbreak of hostilities. The charges against Hemedti stem from alleged war crimes and human rights violations in the Darfur region, where reports of mass displacement and violence have drawn international condemnation.
Al Jazeera reported that the proceedings took place amid heightened scrutiny of the RSF’s actions in West Darfur, where civilian casualties and destruction of infrastructure have been widely documented. The court’s decision may have far-reaching implications for the trajectory of the conflict and accountability for wartime abuses. However, the practical enforcement of the sentence remains uncertain, given that Hemedti continues to lead the RSF from areas under its control, and the Sudanese government’s authority remains contested.
The ruling underscores the deepening legal and political rift between the RSF and the remnants of Sudan’s formal judicial institutions. As the civil war continues, the death sentence may serve more as a symbolic assertion of justice by the state than an immediate legal consequence, given the fragmented control of Sudanese territory.