In a new move to increase accountability and attempt to end the bloody conflict in Sudan, the United States on Tuesday imposed new sanctions on a senior leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, who is the younger brother of Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti).
This decision follows his prominent role in facilitating the RSF’s acquisition of weapons and military equipment used in attacks against civilians, including a recent assault on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
Matthew Miller, the US State Department spokesman, said Algoney is involved in financing and arming the RSF, which has led to an escalation of the conflict and a worsening of the humanitarian situation.
He noted that the allied forces have committed serious violations, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing against civilians, particularly targeting of non-Arab groups in the region.
Despite repeated warnings from Washington and its international partners, RSF and its allied militias have continued to commit brutal acts, including sexual violence and racially motivated attacks against certain ethnic groups in the country, reflecting the scale of the ongoing humanitarian and political crisis in Sudan.
The sanctions are part of wide-ranging international efforts aimed at restoring peace in Sudan, Washington said. Many international organisations, including the United Nations and the African Union, have condemned the egregious violations committed by the warring forces.
These entities have stressed the importance of accountability and the urgent need for a political solution to resolve the escalating crisis.
In recent months, the US has led several diplomatic efforts, in collaboration with regional and international partners, to find a peaceful resolution to the Sudan crisis.
However, these efforts have not yielded tangible results due to the obstinacy of the warring parties and their continued escalation of violence.
“We will continue to impose costs on those who contribute to the continuation of war and the shedding of innocent blood,” Mr Miller added.
According to a recent report by Amnesty International, the RSF has been involved in acts of mass killings and looting, as well as deliberate attacks against civilian communities, resulting in the deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Darfur and other regions of the country.
As international sanctions against the leaders involved in the Sudanese conflict continue, pressure is expected to mount on the warring parties to come to the negotiating table and seek a solution to the crisis.
Analysts believe that sanctions may impact the RSF’s ability to acquire weapons, potentially weakening its capacity to continue fighting.
The US, and allies such as the UK have been imposing sanctions on key leaders of RSF and their rivals Sudan Armed Forces since last year, including asset freezes and sanctioning of companies linked to their operations and revenue generation.
But those sanctions have not helped tame the conflict as outside parties have continued to ship weapons to the battlefield. Earlier, a UN panel of investigators found that both sides had committed war crimes in torturing, sexual exploitation, starving and killing civilians.
