By Samuel Ouma
The United States has imposed sanctions on the leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, commonly known as Hemedti, along with associated entities due to severe human rights violations in Sudan.
This announcement was made by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on January 7, 2025, as part of ongoing efforts to confront the atrocities occurring in the war-torn nation.
Hemedti, who heads the RSF, is accused of orchestrating systematic atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. These acts, perpetrated by RSF forces and allied Arab militias, have specifically targeted civilians based on their ethnicity, resulting in mass killings of men and boys, horrific sexual violence against women and girls, and intentional assaults on fleeing civilians.
Secretary Blinken condemned these acts as genocide, emphasizing the serious human rights violations committed under Hemedti’s command.
“We are announcing Hemedti’s designation under Section 7031(c) for his involvement in gross violations of human rights in Darfur, particularly the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his command. Consequently, Hemedti and his immediate family members are barred from entering the United States,” stated Blinken.
Additionally, the U.S. has sanctioned seven companies owned by the RSF operating in the United Arab Emirates, along with one individual for their involvement in supplying weapons to the RSF. Secretary Blinken pointed out that Hemedti has breached international humanitarian law, including commitments made under the 2023 Jeddah Declaration and the 2024 Code of Conduct from the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan initiative.
While announcing sanctions against the RSF leader, Secretary Blinken said that the U.S. remains neutral in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, holding both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for the violence that has ravaged the nation.
Alongside these punitive actions, the U.S. is committed to supporting Sudanese civil society in its efforts for peace and democracy. Secretary Blinken reaffirmed a commitment made in December 2024 of $30 million to strengthen civil society groups working towards a peaceful, inclusive, and democratic future for Sudan.
Since the conflict began in April 2023, it has led to a humanitarian disaster, affecting over 30 million people in need of aid and resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.
