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Protesters, including four school children, were shot dead during a demonstration in 2019 due to food and fuel shortages.
The Sudanese court sentenced six members of the paramilitary force to death for killing six protesters during a demonstration in 2019 due to food and fuel shortages.
The killing of protesters, including four children, in the city of El-Obeid in Northern Kordofan State in July aroused anger across the Sudan.
A few days later, nine members of the Rapid Support Force (RSF) paramilitary organization were arrested.
In a trial broadcast on Sudanese TV on Thursday, Judge Mohamed Rahma sentenced six defendants to death, acquitted two others, and sent one defendant to the court at least 18 years old because he was under 18.
Rahma said the six people were convicted of “unnecessary” and “inconsistent” with the so-called verbal provocations of the protesters during peaceful demonstrations.
In Sudan, the death penalty is usually executed by hanging, but six people can appeal the verdict.
The families of the victims demanded “retaliation” for the killings during the trial.
RSF was established in 2013 under the leadership of now deposed President Omar al-Bashir, who was overthrown in April 2019 after a massive protest against his rule.
This paramilitary organization originated from Arab militias, known as the People’s Defence Forces, or Janjaweed, and was deployed by the Bashir government in 2003 to suppress minority rebellions in Western Darfur.
The RSF is led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemeti, and he is now a senior member of the Sudanese governing council.
Since August 2019, Sudan has been led by a military-civilian transition, promising to ensure justice for victims of violence.
The protest movement has long accused the RSF of deadly violence against demonstrators, including the disintegration of a mass sit-in in Khartoum in June 2019.
In 2019, protesters set up a huge camp outside the army headquarters in Khartoum, calling for an end to Bashir’s rule.
After he was overthrown, the camp remained in existence for several weeks, demanding a transition to civil rule.
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