U.S. sanctions RSF commanders over Darfur atrocities

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on three commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces over their alleged role in atrocities committed during the paramilitary group’s siege and capture of El-Fasher, the Treasury Department said.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam, known as Abu Lulu; Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed, known as Abu Shok, and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, known as Al Zeir Salem, for actions linked to the 18-month siege of El-Fasher in North Darfur. The sanctions freeze any U.S.-based assets of the three men and generally bar Americans from conducting transactions with them.

Treasury accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out ethnic killings, torture, sexual violence and starvation tactics during the siege of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the Sudanese Armed Forces’ last stronghold in the Darfur region before it fell in October 2025.

“The United States calls on the Rapid Support Forces to commit to a humanitarian ceasefire immediately. We will not tolerate this ongoing campaign of terror and senseless killing in Sudan,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. He warned that without a swift end to the conflict, Sudan’s civil war risked further destabilizing the region and creating conditions for extremist groups to expand.

Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The war has triggered what aid agencies describe as the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis, with more than 150,000 people killed and over 14 million displaced.

From May 2024 to October 2025, RSF forces and allied militias encircled El-Fasher, tightened control over access routes and “carried out repeated attacks on the city and nearby camps for internally displaced people,” Treasury said. An estimated 260,000 civilians were trapped during the siege, leading to outbreaks of disease and famine.

According to Treasury, Idris, an RSF brigadier general, filmed himself killing unarmed civilians and executing captured fighters. The department said he was also involved in alleged abuses elsewhere, including the killing of captured Sudanese Armed Forces personnel at the Al-Jili oil refinery north of Khartoum in March 2024.

Gedo, described by Treasury as an RSF major general and commander for North Darfur since 2021, and Tijani, an RSF field commander, were sanctioned for their leadership roles during the siege and capture of El-Fasher, where fighters were documented committing killings, abductions and sexual violence. The department said the goal of the sanctions is to change behavior, not to punish.

The move follows European Union sanctions against a number of commanders from both the RSF and the SAF who have been accused of committing violence against civilians. Late last month, the EU announced sanctions against seven Sudanese individuals tied to both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, citing human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law.

The measures come as Sudan’s civil war approaches its third year, with the EU attributing responsibility for the ongoing devastation to both factions and their allied militias. Among those targeted are RSF commanders accused of orchestrating atrocities in El-Fasher, North Darfur, including executions of civilians and mistreatment of detainees. Notably, Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, the brother of RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, was sanctioned for facilitating arms procurement and establishing supply networks for the RSF.

On the SAF side, the EU imposed sanctions on Abu Zaid Talha Al-Misbah, commander of the Islamist Baraa bin Malik Battalion, for overseeing civilian executions in Khartoum North and Gezira state, and on tribal leader Al-Tayyib Al-Imam Joda for aiding SAF-aligned militias in violent campaigns against farming communities.

The EU said the individuals “pose a threat to Sudan’s peace and stability,” framing the sanctions as part of its broader push for “accountability and adherence to international law.”

The sanctions come as Sudan’s humanitarian crisis continues to worsen, with tens of thousands facing acute food insecurity and displacement. There have been credible reports of mass atrocities across the country. The latest sanctions signal a broader international effort to hold those accused of committing atrocities accountable.