On Wednesday, November 6, 2023, the United States leveled accusations against Sudan’s armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, alleging that both entities have committed war crimes during the protracted and brutal conflict that has unfolded between them over the past eight months.
Additionally, the United States asserted that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) stand accused of perpetrating ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
The conflict, which erupted on April 15, involves Sudan’s military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, resulting in a state of chaos within the country.
Tragically, the toll of this conflict includes a reported death toll of at least 10,000 people, with an alarming 6.3 million individuals forcibly displaced from their homes.
“Since the outbreak of fighting on April 15, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have unleashed horrific violence, death, and destruction across Sudan. Civilians have borne the brunt of this needless conflict. Detainees have been abused and some…
— U.S. Embassy Khartoum (@USEmbassyKRT) December 6, 2023
“Based on the State Department’s careful analysis of the law and available facts, I have determined that members of the SAF and the RSF have committed war crimes in Sudan,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “I have also determined that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.”
The discovery does not entail the immediate imposition of new sanctions on leaders or members of either faction but confers the U.S. with the authority to enact such measures.
The Biden administration has previously instituted sanctions on both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese army officials for their involvement in various regions of the country, encompassing actions in the capital, Khartoum.
During a press briefing, a spokesperson from the State Department emphasized that the conflicting parties “must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law.”
“We call on them to protect civilians, hold accountable those responsible for atrocities and other abuses, allow unhindered humanitarian access and negotiate an end to this conflict,” Miller said.
Since fighting first broke out in #Sudan last April, ACLED has recorded over 3,200 conflict events across the country and more than 12,100 reported fatalities.
▶️ https://t.co/MTKfjlNBAI pic.twitter.com/sh35SYSN3S
— Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (@ACLEDINFO) December 2, 2023
The United States also specifically addressed the ongoing conflict in the western region of Darfur, where recent weeks have witnessed a transformation of fighting into ethnic violence. According to rights groups and the United Nations, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Arab militias have been targeting ethnic African groups.
Secretary of State Blinken underscored that these actions “echo” the events from two decades ago, characterizing the conflict in Darfur at that time as “genocide.”
During the early 2000s, the Janjaweed, who now constitute the majority of the RSF’s forces, instilled fear in this western Sudan region, operating on behalf of then-leader Omar al-Bashir.
