The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over atrocities against civilians that UN experts said bear “hallmarks of genocide.”
The targeted RSF leaders were involved in the October 26, 2023, takeover of el-Fasher, the North Darfur capital, following an 18-month siege. According to a report by UN-backed human rights experts, the paramilitary group carried out mass killings, sexual violence, kidnappings, and other abuses, with several thousand civilians killed and only 40% of the city’s 260,000 residents managing to flee. Thousands more were injured, while the fate of many remains unknown.
The sanctions include travel bans and financial freezes and target:
Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, deputy commander and brother of RSF leader Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who was filmed allegedly giving orders to kill civilians rather than take captives.
Lt. Gen. Gedo Hamdan Ahmed (Abu Nashuk), seen in videos alongside Dagalo during the mass killings.
Brig. Gen. Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris (Abu Lulu, “Butcher of el-Fasher”), accused of executing civilians on video and claiming responsibility for over 2,000 deaths.
Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed (Al Zeir Salem), a field commander also documented in RSF footage from the takeover.
The UN committee monitoring Sudan sanctions highlighted evidence of ethnically targeted executions, widespread sexual violence, and the kidnapping of civilians, including medical personnel held for ransom. Video footage shot by RSF personnel allegedly shows the commanders carrying out and boasting about killings.
The RSF, formed in 2013 from the Janjaweed militias notorious for brutal campaigns in Darfur, has been at war with the Sudanese military since 2023. Former US diplomat and Sudan expert Cameron Hudson described the UN sanctions as a critical step in holding the RSF accountable and urged broader measures against the group, calling them “terrorists.”
The sanctions follow earlier UK measures imposed in December and come in the wake of UN findings documenting mass atrocities in el-Fasher, reinforcing international calls for accountability and an end to the ongoing conflict in Sudan.
