Port Sudan court tries RSF leader, associates in absentia
Key figures face charges in killing of West Darfur Governor
A special terrorism court in Port Sudan has opened the trial of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo “Hemedti,” along with two of his brothers and 13 other individuals, in absentia, over the June 2023 killing of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abakr.
The trial marks one of the most high-profile judicial responses to atrocities committed during the ongoing and new civil war, which began in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
Abakr, who led the Sudanese Coalition and was appointed governor under the Juba Peace Agreement, was abducted and killed in El Geneina on June 14, 2023, amid one of the RSF’s most violent offensives in West Darfur. His death, widely blamed on RSF forces and allied Arab militias, sparked widespread outrage and intensified the ethnic violence targeting non-Arab Masalit communities in the region.
In its final year in office, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on RSF commanders, including General Abdelrahman Jumaa, for the killing of the governor, and in January formally designated the massacres as acts of “genocide,” concluding that the RSF “systematically murdered men and boys – even infants – on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence.”
Abakr was Masalit – one of the main ethnic groups targeted during the Darfur genocide that began in 2003. In the days surrounding his killing, dozens of Masalit professionals, including judges, lawyers, doctors, teachers, and aid workers, were also murdered in what appeared to be yet another systematic campaign to eliminate the community’s leadership, echoing the massacres of the early 2000s.
In what was widely seen as an attempt to distance itself from the killing, the RSF condemned Abakr’s death, claiming he was murdered by “two outlaws” despite the group’s alleged efforts to protect him. It called for an investigation and stated it “will not hesitate to bring to justice any member of its force found involved.”
The case, opened Sunday, lists Hemedti, his deputy and brother Abdelrahim Daglo, and Al-Goni Daglo, among 16 accused, including former deputy governor Tijani Al-Tahir Kershom and RSF West Darfur commander Major-General Abdelrahman Jumaa – now overseeing RSF operations in Omdurman.
The full list of defendants also includes Idris Hassan Ibrahim Haroun, Hamdan Al-Ghali Asil, Omar Mohamed Asil Al-Qoni, Abdelrahman Ramadan Ahmed, Hassan Ahmed Hassan, Abdelrahman Masar Abdelrahman Asil, Abdullah Hassan Idris Ibrahim, Ahmed Mohamed Saken, Abdullah Mohamed Issa Al-Ghali, Abdo Abdelrahman Asil, and London-based RSF propagandist Abdelmonim Abdelmahmoud Ahmed, known online as Abdelmonim Al-Rabea.
In an opening address before the court, Attorney General Al-Fatih Tayfour, leading the prosecution, described the murder of Governor Abakr as a “treasonous” act, portraying it as part of a broader campaign by the RSF to destabilize the Sudanese state.
He laid out a timeline beginning with the RSF’s April 13, 2023, deployment to Merowe Airport – two days before the war officially erupted – and linked it to coordinated assaults on key military and civilian institutions in Khartoum. Tayfour framed the El Geneina atrocities, including the killing of Abakr, as deliberate steps in a calculated insurgency led by Hemedti and his inner circle.
“This rebellious group, in execution of the stages of a treacherous, deceptive, and destructive project, began with a terrorist crime on April 13, 2023, with the attack on Merowe Airport, followed by an assault on the General Command and the residence of the head of state, the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, aiming to kill or capture him in a sinful plan thwarted by the will of God, and then by the heroism of the presidential guard, who became martyrs. This crime was part of the implementation of this project. On the morning of June 14, 2023, the city of El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, woke to the sounds of cannon fire, rocket launchers, and machine guns fired by the rebellious Rapid Support Forces militia, led by the accused in this case. When the late governor, Khamis Bakr, courageously confronted them in fulfillment of his constitutional and legal responsibilities toward his citizens, inspecting facilities and government forces, he was surprised to find members of this misguided group arresting him, his guards, and all those with him in his car. Instead of following the proper procedures, they insulted and unlawfully arrested him, in a manner unworthy of a governor who holds supreme authority in the state,” Tayfour said.
Despite the absence of the accused, the trial proceeded with the judiciary asserting that the case is built on substantial evidence, including graphic video footage of Abakr’s mutilated body.
Presiding Judge Mamoun Al-Khawad, who has sentenced suspected RSF associates to death or life in prison in the past, stated that the court is committed to “upholding accountability and preventing impunity,” regardless of the accused's refusal to appear.
Sudanese courts typically appoint public defenders for individuals unable or unwilling to select legal representation, especially in politically sensitive trials involving rebellion or terrorism charges. However, it remains unclear whether legal counsel has been assigned to represent Hemedti or whether he has explicitly rejected the court’s jurisdiction – a tactic often employed by rebel or opposition leaders to delegitimize proceedings.
While the RSF has not issued an official response, Hemedti’s advisor Al-Basha Tabiq posted on X (formerly Twitter), deriding the trial as a farcical attempt by the SAF to manipulate public perception.
“These days, the Port Sudan gang has been staging one absurd performance after another… Today they came out with an even more ridiculous play, the main actor in which is the so-called Attorney General Al-Fateh Tayfour,” Tabiq wrote, accusing the SAF of orchestrating the very violence it now claims to prosecute.
Tabiq further alleged that Sudanese military intelligence, not the RSF, was behind the killing of Abakr, citing internal tribal manipulation and state-backed arming of rival groups as the root causes of the massacre.
The trial is seen as highly significant, marking one of the first major judicial responses to atrocities committed during the current civil war. Its opening session was attended by Sultan Saad Bahreldin, the Sultan of the Dar Masalit in West Darfur – a symbolic gesture that underscored the gravity of the case for the Masalit community. His presence highlighted the broader ethnic and political implications of the proceedings, particularly given the RSF’s role in targeting Masalit civilians.
Though legally framed, the trial may deepen hostilities between the SAF and RSF as each side seeks to frame the war's narrative in both legal and international forums. The trial is also a test of Sudan’s crumbling judicial system, which has struggled to operate independently amid the collapse of state institutions following the war’s eruption.
Hemedti, at the onset of the conflict, said the RSF’s mission was to “pursue” General Abdelfattah al-Burhan and “bring him to justice.” That objective now appears reversed, with the army-backed judiciary moving to indict Hemedti and his senior command in absentia, branding them enemies of the state.
“We are fighting against radical Islamists who hope to keep Sudan isolated and in the dark and far removed from democracy. We will continue to pursue Al-Burhan and bring him to justice,” – Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, April 15, 2023.
As the court continues its proceedings in Port Sudan – currently under firm SAF control – it remains to be seen whether any of the defendants will ever be brought into custody. But even in their absence, the trial sends a message that the state, or what remains of it, is attempting to reassert its authority through legal means.
