US accuses Sudan's RSF of committing genocide, sanctions commander
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The Treasury Department announced sanctions against RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, accusing the group of waging "a brutal armed conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan."
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Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commander, General Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), now de facto deputy military leader, attends a meeting of representatives of the tripartite mechanism in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, on June 8, 2022. (AFP)
Members of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have "committed genocide", the United States announced on Tuesday, imposing sanctions on the group's leader.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the determination was based on evidence of the RSF's "systematic" killing of men and boys and the targeted rape of women and girls from specific ethnic groups.
"The United States is committed to holding accountable those responsible," Blinken said, as he unveiled sanctions against RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, for his "role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people."
Dagalo was specifically designated for his involvement in "gross violations of human rights in Darfur, namely the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his control."
As a result, Dagalo and his family members are now barred from entering the United States, Blinken added.
The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, established after World War II, defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group."
Sudan has been ravaged and pushed to the brink of famine by a war that broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF.
The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than eight million people, making Sudan the epicenter of the world’s largest internal displacement crisis.
The United Nations reports that over 30 million people—more than half of them children—now require humanitarian assistance after nearly 20 months of war.
The US Treasury Department also announced its own sanctions against Dagalo, accusing the RSF of waging "a brutal armed conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan."
"Through its campaign in Darfur, Gezira, and other combat areas, the RSF has committed a litany of documented war crimes and atrocities," it said.
It added that as the overall commander of the RSF, Dagalo "bears command responsibility for the abhorrent and illegal actions of his forces."
Additionally, the Treasury sanctioned seven companies and one individual linked to the RSF for their involvement in procuring weapons for the group.
Read more: Sudanese RSF fighters making self-incriminating social media posts
