US sanctions 3 RSF commanders for atrocities in Sudan

ISTANBUL

The US Treasury Department sanctioned three commanders Thursday from Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for their roles in a brutal campaign during the paramilitary group's siege and capture of El Fasher.

"These individuals were involved in the RSF's 18-month siege of and eventual capture of El-Fasher, in which the RSF perpetrated a horrific campaign of ethnic killings, torture, starvation, and sexual violence," said the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The RSF and its allied militias have committed "widespread atrocities, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide" since Sudan's civil war broke out in April 2023, it added.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged the RSF to commit to an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. "We will not tolerate this ongoing campaign of terror and senseless killing in Sudan," he said, warning that without a swift end to the conflict, Sudan risks "further destabilizing the region, creating conditions for terrorist groups to grow."

The US action follows similar designations by the UK in December and the EU in January.

Sudan has been locked in a bloody conflict between the army and the RSF since April 2023, killing tens of thousands, displacing 13 million people, and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, according to UN reports.

Actions by the RSF during their late-October takeover of El Fasher show “hallmarks of genocide” and indicate an ongoing risk of further atrocities, UN investigators said in a report Thursday.