NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 8 — The United States has imposed sanctions of the leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for his role on an unfolding genocide against non-Arabs.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) accussed General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ‘Hemetti’, who deputized Sudan’s interim leader under the Transitional Sovereign Council before a fallout in April 2023, killing tens of thousands in a conflict that has seen 12 million Sudanese displaced.
OFAC further sanctioned seven companies and an individual it said has facilitated RSF’s ability to acquire military equipment and finances. It singled out Capital Tap Holding L.L.C. (Capital Tap Holding), based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Commenting of the sactions announced on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Hemetti’s forces of targeting men boys and infants.
“The RSF and allied militias have systematically murdered men and boys — even infants — on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence,” Blinken said in a statement.
“Those same militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies,” Blinken said, concluding “that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.”
The sactions come carely two months after the US led a Troika in denouncing rights violations in Sudan amid a regional effort led by Nairobi to resolve the country’s leadership crisis.
The United States, United Kingdom and Norway, in a joint statement issued on November 15, singled out attacks by the RSF in West, Central and South Darfur.
“These [attacks] have included – according to credible reports – mass killings including ethnic targeting of non-Arab and other communities, killings of traditional leaders, unjust detentions, and obstruction of humanitarian aid,” the Troika stated.
“We are also concerned by reports of violence in the town of Jebel Aulia, on the White Nile River, where there are reports of targeting of civilians,” the joint statement added.
The Troika renewed calls for concerted efforts to return the country to a civilian rule saying a military solution was not an option.
“We reiterate that there is no acceptable military solution to the conflict, and call for an end to the fighting,” it said.
“We urge the RSF and SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces) to refrain from actions that would further divide Sudan along ethnic lines or draw other forces into their conflict,” the triad appealed.
The Troika called for a deescalation and ceasefire to allow unhindered humanitarian access, while lauding the resumption of the Jeddah Process facilitated jointly by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) which Kenya is part of.
The Sudanese Ared Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan, had stonewalled a Nairobi-led initiative under an IGAD quartet comprising Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan over alleged bias.
General al-Burhan reportedly took offense with President William Ruto’s characterization of the conflict as “fighting between two generals”.
Ruto subsequently met General al-Burhan in Nairobi on November 11 before meeting Abdalla Hamdok, Prime Minister of a civilian authority replaced by General al-Burhan, on November 14
President Ruto also met Hemetti on November 24 when he reportedly secured RSF’s commitment to IGAD-supported Jeddah peace talks. State House did not formally confirm the engagement.
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