The United States has announced that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) had committed genocide in Darfur, imposing sanctions on the paramilitary group’s leader, Mohammad Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited “systematic atrocities,” including the mass murder of men and boys and the targeted rape of women and girls from specific ethnic groups.
Hemedti was accused of commanding RSF forces responsible for mass civilian rapes and gross human rights violations. He and his family have been banned from entering the United States. The US Treasury Department also sanctioned seven companies and an individual linked to the RSF for facilitating arms procurement.
The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army, which began in April 2023, has led to tens of thousands of deaths and displaced over eight million people. More than 30 million Sudanese are now in urgent need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.
The genocide designation is a rare move by the US, underscoring the severity of the RSF’s actions. The Treasury Department vowed to hold those responsible for human rights violations accountable, urging an end to the ongoing conflict devastating Sudan.
