A Sudanese court in Port Sudan has launched a high-profile trial in absentia against Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, over the killing of West Darfur governor Khamis Abkar in June 2023.
Hemedti’s brother and RSF deputy, Abdel Rahim Dagalo, along with 14 other RSF members, are also facing charges in connection with Abkar’s abduction and subsequent murder. Sudan’s Attorney General, al-Fateh Tayfour, accused the RSF of kidnapping Abkar and executing him along with his bodyguards at an RSF base. Graphic video footage of Abkar’s mutilated body circulated online shortly after his death, sparking outrage.
Abkar’s deputy, Tijani Al-Tahir Karshom, has also been indicted for his alleged involvement. Tayfour characterized the killing as an act of “treason” and part of a broader RSF campaign against the Sudanese state. The charges carry severe penalties, including the possibility of life imprisonment or the death sentence.
The trial unfolds against the backdrop of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, which broke out in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The conflict has wreaked havoc across the country, with widespread destruction in Khartoum and in Darfur, where the RSF is accused of committing atrocities.
Both the Sudanese government and the United States have described the RSF’s actions in Darfur as genocide. Washington has also accused the Sudanese military of war crimes during the conflict.
The United Nations estimates that tens of thousands have died since the war began, with more than 13 million people displaced. The trial marks a rare legal reckoning amid the ongoing violence, as Sudan continues to grapple with deepening instability and humanitarian crisis.