The United States announced new sanctions on Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces on Tuesday as the UN Security Council convened to discuss the escalating fighting in the war-torn country. 

The US Treasury Department said it has sanctioned Abdel Rahman Joma’a Barakallah, referring to him as a leader in the RSF who has been “a primary party responsible for the ongoing violence against civilians in Sudan” since the war started in April 2023 between the RSF and Sudanese military. The department alleged that Barakallah led the RSF’s campaign in the West Darfur region, describing the conflict there as “marked by credible claims of serious human rights abuses, including targeting of civilians, conflict-related sexual violence, and ethnically motivated violence.” 

Background 

The RSF formed out of the Janjaweed militias that fought for long-time Sudanese ruler Omar al-Bashir in the Darfur war, which lasted from 2003 to 2020. The Janjaweed consist of Arabized Sudanese fighters who largely target Black Sudanese communities in Darfur and were accused of mass atrocities. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court but remains imprisoned in Sudan.