Port Sudan Court Sentences Hemedti and 15 RSF Commanders to Death In Absentia

A Port Sudan court sentenced RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo and 15 other RSF commanders to death in absentia on July 12, 2026, for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide tied to the June 2023 killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abakar and the ensuing El Geneina campaign, in which estimates of Masalit deaths range from roughly 1,500 to 15,000. Co-sentenced were Hemedti's brothers Abdelrahim and Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo and commander Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah. It marked the first judicial verdict against Hemedti since the war began in April 2023. TASIS rejected the ruling as a 'sham trial.' The same day, Sudan's Security and Defence Council, chaired by Burhan, submitted its formal written response to the US-brokered peace proposal (a 90-day humanitarian truce leading to a permanent ceasefire, political transition, and elections) — without reaching a final agreement.