EU Imposes Sanctions on Major Actors in Sudan War

Sudanhorizon – Agencies
The European Union (EU) on Thursday sanctioned seven Sudanese individuals, including the brother of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander, the commander of the Al-Baraa bin Malik Battalion, and a tribal leader.
These new individuals bring the total number of people listed under the EU sanctions regime to 18 individuals and 8 entities. All are subject to sanctions that include asset freezes, travel bans within the EU, and restrictions on the provision of funds and resources.
In a statement, the EU said, “The Council of the EU imposed sanctions on seven individuals in light of the ongoing serious situation in Sudan and the escalation of violence, as well as violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.”
The statement indicated that the list of sanctioned individuals is headed by RSF Major Hamdan Musa, the brother of the RSF commander.
The statement explained that Al-Qouni was involved in supplying weapons to the RSF through the companies Tradif General Trading and GSK Advance Limited, both of which are already subject to EU sanctions for their involvement in procuring supplies. He stated that Al-Qouni is responsible for planning acts that constitute grave human rights violations and serious breaches of international humanitarian law, and that he is also responsible for acts that threaten peace and stability.
In October 2024, the United States imposed sanctions on Al-Qouni for leading efforts to procure weapons to perpetuate the war in Sudan. The European Union’s sanctions list also included Al-Fatih Abdullah Idris, known as Abu Lulu, who was identified as a key perpetrator of atrocities in El Fasher, North Darfur, in October 2025.
The EU stated that Al-Fatih executed civilians and ordered the killing of numerous innocent people, including children, and that he was responsible for directing and committing acts constituting serious human rights violations.
Abu Lulu, a field commander in the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militias, became known as a public executioner and documented the executions of his victims in videos posted on social media.
The EU also imposed sanctions on RSF field commander Idris Kafuti, identifying him as a perpetrator of atrocities in El Fasher in October of the previous year. The EU stated that Kafuti harassed detainees and was responsible for acts constituting serious human rights violations and acts that threaten peace and stability. The EU noted that the sanctions included the RSF field commander Tijani Ibrahim Musa, a key perpetrator of atrocities in El Fasher, was sanctioned for harassing detainees and committing serious human rights violations.
The EU also sanctioned Major General Jadu Hamdan, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander in North Darfur, as a key perpetrator of atrocities in El Fasher and responsible for serious human rights violations and acts that threaten peace and stability.
Since launching its offensive to seize El Fasher in May 2024, the RSF has committed atrocities against civilians, including ethnically motivated killings, forced displacement, sexual violence, and the destruction of water sources, markets, and medical facilities.
These violations escalated into mass killings after the RSF captured the city in late October, with victims’ blood visible in satellite imagery.
The EU also sanctioned Talha al-Misbah, commander of the al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade, stating that he leads an Islamist militia fighting alongside the army against the RSF.
The EU stated that al-Misbah participated in the defense of an armored corps base south of Khartoum between June and August 2023. He led the battalion fighters who stormed the presidential palace in March 2025.
Al-Misbah was considered an active participant in the military’s war efforts, which obstruct and undermine attempts to resume the political transition in Sudan. He also bears command responsibility for the extrajudicial killings of civilians in Khartoum North in September 2024 and in Gezira State earlier that year.

The EU stated that sanctions were also imposed on Tayeb Imam Joda, the Emir of the Nafidiya Kawahlah tribe, for assisting the army and the Sudan Shield Forces in recruiting and organizing campaigns of systematic targeting of the Kanabi farming communities in Sennar and Gezira.

The EU explained that these campaigns involved mass killings, the burning of villages, and mass arrests, both before and after the army and its allies recaptured Wad Madani in January 2025. It stated that Joda recruited fighters for the army and the Sudan Shield Forces, incited violence against the Kanabi population by accusing them of supporting the Rapid Support Forces, and repeatedly called for arming civilians, thus implicating him in the planning, directing, and perpetration of acts constituting serious human rights violations.

The EU stated that the ongoing conflict has caused The conflict has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and immense suffering for the Sudanese people, and poses a serious threat to the stability and security of the wider region.

He stressed that the sanctions he imposed promote accountability for serious violations, underscoring that impunity for such acts is unacceptable.

He stated that he will remain actively engaged, including at the highest levels, in efforts to bring the conflict to a sustainable end, and will continue to use and intensify the tools at his foreign policy disposal, including sanctions, to achieve a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

In October 2023, the Council of the European Union adopted a framework of restrictive measures in light of activities that undermine the stability and political transition in Sudan.

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