‘Unmitigated Brutality’

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) dismissed new US sanctions against its leader this week over allegations that the paramilitary group and its allied militias committed genocide during the country’s ongoing civil war, Reuters reported.

On Tuesday, Washington imposed sanctions on RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, barring him and his family from entering the United States and freezing their assets. Seven RSF-linked companies in the United Arab Emirates and an individual involved in weapons procurement were also sanctioned.

The move comes after US officials determined that the RSF and its allies had committed genocide and war crimes, including systematic killings, sexual violence, and ethnic cleansing, particularly in the western region of Darfur.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described calling the conflict “unmitigated brutality,” claiming that the paramilitary group deliberately targeted men, boys, and women from non-Arab ethnic groups, as well as prevented civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies.

But RSF representatives rejected the allegations and called the measures “wrong.” They accused Washington of “rewarding those who started the war by punishing General Hemedti.”

Sudan’s war began in April 2023 following a power struggle between Hemedti and Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

The ongoing fighting has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. More than 30 million people are in need of assistance and famine has been declared in several regions, according to Blinken.

A recent study estimated that 61,000 people were killed in the western Khartoum State alone between April 2023 and June 2024, with 90 percent of those deaths unrecorded, CBS News wrote.

Efforts by the US and international partners to broker peace have failed, with both the RSF and the SAF facing accusations of war crimes.

Washington previously sanctioned army leaders, as well as individuals and entities linked to financing its weapons procurement.

While the RSF controls roughly half of Sudan’s territory, analysts explained that the sanctions and genocide undermine the armed group’s efforts to gain legitimacy and establish a civilian government.