A Sudanese general is accused of carrying out “lethal attacks” against civilians during the ongoing war with the paramilitary RSF.
The administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden has imposed sanctions on Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of destabilizing the war-torn country.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement Thursday that under al-Burhan’s leadership, the SAF “carried out deadly attacks against civilians, including airstrikes against protected infrastructure such as schools, markets, and hospitals.” Ta.
“The SAF is also responsible for using food deprivation as a war tactic and routinely and deliberately denying humanitarian access,” the ministry said.
The move comes days after the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the Sudanese militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been at war with the SAF since April 2023. .
The Treasury Department announced on January 7 that under Dagalo’s leadership, “RSF has committed serious human rights violations, including widespread sexual violence and the execution of defenseless civilians and unarmed combatants.”
The US government has also accused the RSF and its allied militias of carrying out genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
The war in Sudan has killed thousands of people and plunged the country into a dire humanitarian crisis.
According to UN statistics, more than 8 million Sudanese are internally displaced, and another 3 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
Late last month, the United Nations-backed group that monitors world hunger warned that hunger was rapidly spreading across Sudan, with famine conditions already being confirmed in parts of Darfur and elsewhere.
Asked about the sanctions Thursday during a briefing in Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that Sudan’s military “continues to target civilians” in the country.
“It’s hindering the progress of the peace process. We’ve been repeatedly denied participation in ceasefire talks that we’ve tried to convene,” Blinken said.
“And together with RSF, we have created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, where people are suffering every day.”
Blinken also expressed hope that President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, which takes office on Monday, will continue efforts to end the conflict.
“When it comes to Sudan, for me, yes, it is another real regret that we were not able to have a successful day despite our monitoring,” he said. Ta.
Earlier on Thursday, Al-Burhan spoke defiantly about the possibility that he would be targeted.
“We welcome any sanctions for the sake of the country,” he told Al Jazeera Arabic.
