A Sudanese court has sentenced the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo to death for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide over atrocities committed in the West Darfur region.

The court in Port Sudan, a city under the army's rule, convicted Dagalo - known as Hemedti - in absentia, along with 15 other senior RSF members, who were given the same sentence.

The Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF, told the BBC it was "sham trial" that "does not even deserve a comment".

The trial centred on alleged atrocities committed in the regional capital el-Geneina, including the June 2023 killing of the state governor, Khamis Abbakar.

The court also found the 16 defendants guilty of orchestrating attacks on civilians, widespread destruction and looting of property, and the targeting of schools, places of worship and residential neighbourhoods.

Among those sentenced were Hemedti's brother and deputy, Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo, another brother, Al-Qoni Hamdan Dagalo, and the RSF's West Darfur commander, Abdul Rahman Juma Barkallah.

The RSF has not yet directly commented on the verdict, but has previously rejected accusations of war crimes during the conflict.

Special Judge Mohamed Al-Amin ordered the confiscation of all RSF assets and instructed the authorities to seek Interpol Red Notices for the arrest and extradition of those convicted.

This ruling is the first judicial conviction of the RSF's leadership since civil war broke out, however its impact remains unclear as the group continues to control large parts of western Sudan and its leaders remain beyond the reach of the army.

Hemedti's whereabouts are not publicly known.

UN investigators and human rights organisations have accused the RSF and allied Arab militias of carrying out ethnically targeted attacks against the Masalit population in Darfur.

Earlier this month, the International Criminal Court's deputy chief prosecutor said they have "concrete evidence" linking RSF leaders to war crimes.

In May 2024, a Human Rights Watch report said the campaign in and around el-Geneina between April and November 2023 killed thousands of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee.

The rights organisation said the abuses amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Masalit and other non-Arab communities.

Both sides have been accused of committing human rights abuses and war crimes. Last year, United Nations investigators found the Sudanese army and the RSF to have targeted civilians and vital infrastructure, such as medical facilities in large-scale attacks.

Sudan was plunged into a civil war in April 2023 after a vicious power struggle broke out between the leader of the Sudanese army Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Hemedti.

More than 150,000 people have died and 12 million more are estimated to have fled their homes amid the conflict. Aid agencies say around 28 million people are facing acute hunger.