EU to sanction RSF deputy chief over human rights violations in Sudan
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The EU plans sanctions on Abdelrahim Dagalo of the Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces over human rights abuses, amid efforts to secure a ceasefire.
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Rapid Support Forces (RSF) deputy commander Abdul Rahim Dagalo reacts as he arrives for a planned signing ceremony of the Sudan Founding Charter, February 18, 2025 (AP)
The European Union is set to impose sanctions on Abdelrahim Dagalo, the deputy commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused of human rights abuses, according to three European diplomats cited by Reuters.
EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the sanctions at a Brussels meeting on Thursday, the diplomats said, with the measures including a travel ban to the bloc and the freezing of any assets Dagalo holds there.
"France is fully committed to achieving a ceasefire in Sudan and combating impunity," a French diplomatic source told Reuters, adding, "To this end, it supports the use of all appropriate means, including European sanctions."
One of the European sources said there was consensus within the bloc to impose sanctions on Dagalo, the brother of RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, while two sources added that the plan was to take a step-by-step approach to sanctions and keep a channel for dialogue open.
Additionally, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday that London planned to introduce sanctions targeting human rights violations and abuses in Sudan, emphasizing the need for sustained efforts to achieve a ceasefire.
RSF's history of violating human rights in Sudan
The Rapid Support Forces have been widely accused of committing systematic human rights violations since the outbreak of conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on April 15, 2023. Reports from humanitarian organizations and eyewitness accounts have pointed to deliberate attacks on civilians, mass killings, and widespread sexual violence, particularly in El Fasher and in the Darfur region.
One of the most harrowing incidents occurred in June 2023 in West Darfur, where RSF fighters and allied militias carried out what has been described as an ethnic massacre targeting the Masalit community in Geneina. Entire neighborhoods were razed, and hundreds of civilians, including women and children, were reportedly executed or burned alive in their homes.
These acts drew condemnation from the United Nations and rights groups, who warned that the atrocities may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.
A myriad of crimes
In addition to mass killings, the RSF has been implicated in large-scale looting, arbitrary detentions, and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Testimonies collected by international observers throughout 2023 and into 2024 detail horrific cases of women and girls being abducted and assaulted in RSF-controlled areas, particularly in Khartoum and across Darfur. Hospitals, aid centers, and even refugee camps have not been spared, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
Most recently, on October 26, 2025, the Rapid Support Forces captured El Fasher, the last major stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Darfur, after an 18-month siege. Following the takeover, the United Nations described the city as a “crime scene” amid credible reports of mass executions, systematic detentions and rapes, and ethnically targeted violence.
The humanitarian situation became dire: civilians reported machine-gun fire on fleeing crowds, forced disappearances, mass graves, and attempts to destroy evidence of the atrocities.
