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UN imposes sanctions on Rapid Support Forces commanders
The United Nations Security Council has targeted four senior leaders of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) with new sanctions over alleged war crimes committed during the capture of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
Key figures sanctioned
Among those designated are Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF's deputy commander and brother of the group's leader, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo-known as Hemedti. The UN accused Dagalo of overseeing operations during the city's fall, including mass killings and ethnically targeted executions.
Also sanctioned were Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, nicknamed the "Butcher of el-Fasher" for his role in the violence, along with RSF deputy commander Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and field commander Tijani Ibrahim.
RSF denies systematic abuses
A spokesman for Tasis, a coalition of civilian and armed groups aligned with the RSF, dismissed the sanctions as "unfair," claiming they relied on "partial" and "unneutral" reports. The RSF has acknowledged "violations" in el-Fasher but insists the scale of atrocities has been exaggerated by opponents.
"All these facts showed that the sanctions imposed by UNSC are unjust."
Tasis spokesman
Tasis also stated that its forces evacuated over 800,000 civilians from el-Fasher during the offensive, providing them with food and medical aid. It denied accusations of blocking civilians from leaving or killing non-combatants, calling such claims "misleading."
UN findings detail genocide-like violence
The UN's fact-finding mission concluded last week that the RSF's takeover of el-Fasher bore "hallmarks of genocide." The group's 18-month siege of the city culminated in a three-day assault in October, marked by summary executions, systematic sexual violence, and mass detentions targeting the ethnic Zaghawa population.
The UN cited video evidence showing Abu Lulu-Idris' alias-giving orders to kill civilians and boasting of executing over 2,000 people. Tasis countered that Abu Lulu had been imprisoned for his actions, framing the abuses as "individual incidents" rather than official policy.
Broader international response
The sanctions align with measures previously imposed by the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union. The U.S. targeted Dagalo in September 2023 and the three other commanders last week, while Britain sanctioned all four in December.
The Sentry, an American investigative nonprofit, welcomed the coordinated action but stressed the need for stronger financial penalties to disrupt the RSF's support networks.
Humanitarian crisis deepens
Since the RSF seized el-Fasher in October, over 70,000 people have fled, while thousands remain trapped, missing, or detained inside the city, according to the UN refugee agency. Sudan's civil war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands and triggered the world's worst hunger and displacement crisis.
