KHARTOUM – The United States on Wednesday sanctioned Abdelrahim Hamdan Dagalo – the deputy commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces and brother of RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo.
US Representative to the UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Abdelrahim is connected to abuses by the RSF against civilians in Sudan, including conflict-related sexual violence and ethnic-based killings.
A Reuters investigation in 2019 showed Abdelrahim Dagalo was listed as owner of Algunade, a gold mining company sanctioned by the US.
Speaking in Adré in Chad, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield further announced the US Department of State had imposed visa restrictions on RSF General and West Darfur Sector Commander Abdul Rahman Juma for his involvement in gross violation of human rights.
Gen Juma is accused of extrajudicial killings of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abbakar and his brother, Abdelaziz Adam Mohammed, in June.
“We will continue do everything in our power to prevent and respond to mass atrocities,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a separate statement said Juma was also barred from entering the United States over his involvement in a gross violation of human rights. Blinken said that according to credible sources, forces led by Juma in June kidnapped and killed the Governor of West Darfur and his brother hours after the governor’s public statements condemning the actions of the RSF.
At the time, videos on social media showed a group of armed men, some wearing RSF uniforms, detaining Abbakar who had accused them of genocidal killings, and later the governor on the ground with wounds to his neck and face.
“Civilians are being killed randomly and in large numbers,” told Al Hadath TV, according Al Jazeera, urging the international community to intervene to protect people in el-Geneina, the capital of West Darfur.
Thomas-Greenfield said the reported atrocities in Darfur are an ominous reminder of the horrific events that led the United States to determine in 2004 that genocide had been committed in Darfur.
“But it has been disappointing to see how little attention this brutal conflict has received from the international community,” she said.
In a statement that appeared to finger Russia and the UAE, Blinken said the United States is calling on external actors to avoid fueling the conflict.
“We will not hesitate to use the tools at our disposal to hinder the ability of the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to further prolong this war, and we will also use such tools to deter any actor from undermining the Sudanese people’s aspiration for peace and civilian, democratic rule.
“We will act to promote accountability for those responsible for atrocities and to pursue justice for the victims. The parties must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities or other abuses, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and negotiate an end to the conflict,” Blinken added.
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