US sanctions two RSF commanders as fighting escalates in Sudan’s Darfur

UN officials and rights groups warn hundreds of thousands of civilians are at risk amid heavy fighting in el-Fasher.

The United States has imposed sanctions against two commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as rights groups and the United Nations warn that deadly violence in the North Darfur region is escalating.

The US Department of the Treasury said on Wednesday that the sanctions targeted the RSF’s Central Darfur commander, Ali Yagoub Gibril, and Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, a major-general who heads the group’s operational planning.

“While the Sudanese people continue to demand an end to this conflict, these commanders have been focused on expanding to new fronts and battling for control of more territory,” Treasury official Brian Nelson said in a statement.

The RSF has encircled el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in recent weeks and fighting between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces has surged.

Earlier this week, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the violence in el-Fasher put more than 800,000 civilians at risk.