Sudan charges RSF Commander Hemedti, brother with genocide, murder of Darfur Governor
Fourteen additional RSF members have also been implicated in connection with Khamis' killing.
The government of Sudan has formally charged Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, and his brother Abdel Rahim Dagalo with genocide and the killing of a regional governor in the war-ravaged Darfur region.
The duo, Africa News reports, were indicted in absentia, facing accusations including the June 2023 abduction and brutal murder of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abakar, whose mutilated body was filmed and circulated online, prompting international condemnation.
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Fourteen additional RSF members have also been implicated in connection with Khamis' killing.
The Sudanese government's decision follows the United States' recent designation of RSF actions in Darfur as genocide.
According to the United States, RSF has carried out planned ethnic killings and sexual violence against minority groups like the Masalit community in the Darfur region, an observation shared by multiple human rights organisations.
In response, Washington placed sanctions on Hemedti and two of his brothers, including Abdel, and several companies connected to the RSF.
Hemedti, who hails from the Mahariya tribe known for camel trading, was born in Darfur in the 1970s, dropping out of school early to join the Janjaweed militia after his trading convoy was reportedly attacked and some of his relatives killed.
After rising through the ranks of the said militia group, Sudan's then-president Omar al-Bashir appointed him to lead the RSF, a paramilitary group drawn from Janjaweed fighters, in 2013.
Under Hemedti, who was a lieutenant general at the time, the RSF gained power, wealth and influence, securing control of gold mines and brutally suppressing anti-government protests.
Despite being close allies with Bashir, Hemedti participated in the former Sudanese president's ouster in 2019.
After Omar's ouster, Hemedti quickly became a powerful figure in Sudan. He was subsequently made deputy leader of the military council that took over and later became part of the new Sovereignty Council.
While Omar and others are facing charges at the International Criminal Court for crimes like genocide, Hemedti has never been charged.
Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023, when fighting broke out between the national army and the RSF.
Since then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, forced more than 13 million from their homes, and triggered what the International Rescue Committee calls "the biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded."
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