US unveils sanctions on Sudan's army chief Burhan
The move comes over a week after the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Rapid Support Forces leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on Sudanese Armed Forces leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, just a week after sanctioning a rival general in the war-torn country.
Under Burhan’s leadership, the SAF has carried out attacks on civilians, including through airstrikes against schools, markets and hospitals, the Treasury Department said in a statement. It also accused the Sudanese army of using food deprivation as a war tactic, citing its “routine and intentional denial” of humanitarian access.
In addition to Burhan, the department also announced sanctions on a Hong Kong-based company and a Sudanese Ukrainian national it said were involved in weapons procurement for the SAF.
“Today’s action underscores our commitment to seeing an end to this conflict,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement. “The United States will continue to use our tools to disrupt the flow of weapons into Sudan and hold these leaders responsible for their blatant disregard of civilian lives.”
The Biden administration unveiled sanctions last week on Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Burhan’s rival who leads the powerful Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group. It also accused the RSF committing genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region.
What began as a power struggle between the two generals erupted into civil war in April 2023. Fighting between Dagolo and Burhan’s forces has killed tens of thousands of Sudanese and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
“Since then, Burhan has opposed a return to civilian governance in Sudan and has refused to participate in international peace talks to end the fighting, choosing war over good-faith negotiation and de-escalation,” the Treasury Department said.
In December 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken formally determined that members of both the SAF and the RSF had committed war crimes in Sudan, and that the RSF and allied militias had carried out crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing in West Darfur.
In his final press conference on Thursday, Blinken described “real regret” that he is leaving office with a war still raging in Sudan.
“We have been deeply engaged with our diplomacy to try to bring it to an end,” Blinken told reporters. “I hope the next administration will take that on.”
This developing story has been updated since initial publication.
