EU sanctions seven Sudanese commanders over Sudan war

The European Union on Thursday imposed sanctions on seven Sudanese individuals linked to the country’s warring parties, citing grave human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law and the escalating violence that has devastated Darfur and other parts of Sudan.

The measures target five figures affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and two linked to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), the EU said in a statement, as fighting between the rival sides nears its third year.

The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, has killed thousands, displaced millions and destabilised large parts of Sudan. The EU said responsibility for the war continued to rest with both the RSF and the SAF, as well as militias allied to them.

Among those sanctioned is Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, an RSF major and brother of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti. The EU said Algoney Dagalo was involved in procuring arms for the RSF and had established trading companies used in the group’s supply networks.

The EU also sanctioned several RSF commanders it said were responsible for atrocities committed in El Fasher, North Darfur, in October 2025, including the execution of civilians.

They include Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam Abu Lulu, an RSF brigadier general and commander whom the EU identified as a “key perpetrator in the killings,” and atrocities in El fasher as well as RSF field commanders Edris Kafuti and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, accused of harassing detainees during the same incident.

Another RSF figure targeted is Gedo Hamdan, a brigadier general and regional commander for North Darfur, whom the EU said bore responsibility for serious human rights violations during the El Fasher violence.

On the SAF side, the sanctions include Abu Zaid Talha Al-Misbah, commander of the Islamist Baraa bin Malik Battalion, which has fought alongside the Sudanese army. The EU said Al-Misbah held command responsibility for summary executions of civilians in Khartoum North in September 2024 and in Gezirah state in January 2025, citing findings by a United Nations fact-finding mission and Human Rights Watch.

The EU also sanctioned Al-Tayyib Al-Imam Joda, a tribal leader from Gezirah state, accusing him of helping SAF-aligned militias recruit fighters and organise attacks against Kanabi farming communities, including mass killings, mass arrests and village burnings.

“These individuals are associated with entities that threaten the peace, stability or security of Sudan,” the EU said.

The bloc said the sanctions reflected its call for accountability and respect for international law, as outlined in EU Council conclusions adopted in October 2025. By imposing targeted restrictive measures, the EU said it aimed to reinforce accountability for serious violations and to signal that impunity for abuses committed during the conflict would not be tolerated.

The sanctions come as the war in Sudan is widely described by the United Nations as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with millions displaced and acute shortages of food, medicine and basic services across much of the country. Atrocities have been documented by UN investigators and rights groups on all sides of the conflict. The conflict has also drawn in foreign and regional actors, with growing evidence cited by diplomats, experts and media reports of the involvement of external supporters, including alleged links to the United Arab Emirates, Colombian mercenaries and armed groups from neighbouring countries.