Blinken: RSF Declared Perpetrators of Genocide

Washington – Sudanhorizon – Agencies

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan. He also revealed that the United States has decided to impose comprehensive sanctions on the RSF leader and seven companies operating in the United Arab Emirates that supply the group with weapons and funds.
In a press statement issued by the U.S. State Department, Blinken said that on April 15, 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF engaged in a brutal conflict that resulted in the world’s largest humanitarian disaster. The conflict left 638,000 Sudanese facing the worst famine in modern Sudanese history, more than 30 million civilians in need of humanitarian aid, and tens of thousands dead.
Blinken noted that in December 2023, he concluded that “individuals” from both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF committed war crimes. He further determined that RSF members and their allied Arab militias were responsible for crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
He added that the RSF and its allied militias have continued targeting civilians. The RSF and these militias systematically killed men and boys—even infants—on ethnic grounds while deliberately targeting women and girls from specific ethnic groups with rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence. These same militias attacked fleeing civilians, killed innocent people escaping the conflict, and prevented the remaining civilians from accessing life-saving supplies.
“Based on this information, I now conclude that the RSF and its allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan,” Blinken said.
He stated that the United States is committed to holding those responsible for these atrocities accountable. “Today, we are imposing sanctions on RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, for his role in the systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people. We are also sanctioning seven RSF-owned companies operating in the UAE and one individual for their roles in procuring weapons for the RSF.”
The statement also mentioned that Hemeti has been designated under Section 7031(c) for his involvement in gross human rights violations in Darfur, specifically the mass rape of civilians by RSF soldiers under his command. As a result of this designation, Hemeti and his immediate family members are now ineligible to enter the United States.
Blinken emphasized that Hemeti has deliberately disregarded obligations under international humanitarian law, the “Jeddah Declaration of 2023 on the Commitment to Protect Civilians in Sudan,” and the 2024 Code of Conduct drafted by the Sudanese Life-Saving and Peace Enhancement Initiative. This code includes commitments to ensure the unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid and to prevent war crimes, such as sexual violence, which were perpetrated by the RSF and allied militias under Hemeti’s leadership.
Blinken concluded by stating that this action is “part of our ongoing efforts to promote accountability for all warring parties whose actions fuel this conflict.” He reiterated that the United States does not support either side of the war and that these measures do not signify support or endorsement of the Sudanese Armed Forces.