The United States of America has accused the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing genocide and imposed sanctions on its leader.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, was being punished for his role in “systematic” atrocities against the Sudanese people during the 20-month conflict.
He said the RSF and allied militias were responsible for the murder of “men and boys – even infants”, as well as brutal sexual violence against women on ethnic grounds. The militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and murdered innocent people escaping the conflict, Blinken said.
He noted that based on the information, he has now concluded that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.
In response, the RSF has accused the US of double standards and for failing to effectively address the ongoing crisis.
Hemedti’s adviser, El-Basha Tbaeq, in a post on his X account, pointed out that the decision expresses the failure of the Biden administration to deal with the Sudanese crisis and the double standards it followed with regards to the crisis.
He added that this may complicate the Sudanese crisis and hinder negotiations to address the root causes of the conflict.
