Terrorism Court Charges Hemeidti and His Brothers

The Anti-Terrorism and Crimes Against the State Court in Port Sudan has officially charged Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeidti), his brothers Abdel-Rahim and Al-Goni Dagalo, and 13 other defendants with genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ransacking in the case of the killing of former West Darfur Wali (governor) Khamis Abdullah Abkar.

The court, headed by Judge Mamoun Al-Khawad, confirmed that the attack on El-Geneina on April 15, 2023, was carried out under Hemeidti’s command and targeted the Masalit tribe because of their gender. This resulted in the deaths of thousands, the displacement of hundreds of thousands to Chad and brutal execution of the former Wali of West Darfur State and mutilation his body.

The court charged the second-in-command, Abdel-Rahim Dagalo, and the economic official, Al-Goni Dagalo, with criminal complicity in planning and executing the attack, in addition to charges of committing atrocities against civilians and their property.

The court charged the fourth defendant, Abdel-Rahman Juma, with directly leading the attack on El-Geneina, overseeing the liquidation of the Wali Abkar, and committing acts of genocide against the Masalit tribe, including the killing of 15,000 civilians and burying some alive.

The fifth to sixteenth defendants were charged with supporting the attack and committing crimes of rape, torture, and displacement.

The final defendant, Abdel-Moneim Abdel Mahmoud (Al-Rabi’a), was charged with inciting the killing of the Wali Khamis Abkar via a live broadcast on social media.

The court confirmed that the charges were based on strong evidence, testimonies, and witnesses, in the absence of the defendants and their defense teams.

The case will be adjourned for judgment after hearing the final testimony.

The decision was issued in the absence of the defendants, and the prosecution before the court was undertaken by an indictment panel comprising members of the National Commission for the Investigation of Crimes and Violations of National Law and International Humanitarian Law.