US Sanctions Sudanese Militia for Genocide
"The RSF and allied militias have systematically killed males, including infants, based on ethnicity and targeted women and girls for rape and brutal sexual violence," Blinken said.
Jan 8, 2025
WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) The State and Treasury Departments announced on Tuesday that they were sanctioning a major Sudanese militia—the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—for genocide against a Sudanese ethnic group, the Masalit, who live in the country’s southwest, within the Darfur region.
The actions of the RSF against the Masalit resemble those of ISIS against the Yezidis and others whom ISIS condemned as heretical.
Thus, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement issued on Tuesday, “The RSF and RSF-aligned militias have continued to direct attacks against civilians.”
They “have systematically murdered men and boys—even infants—on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence,” Blinken’s statement continued.
“Those same militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies,” Blinken added, as he concluded, “Members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.”
Consequently, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on the RSF leader, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo Mousa, who goes by the name Hemedti.
“Through its campaign in Darfur, Gezira, and other combat areas, the RSF has committed a litany of documented war crimes and atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings and sexual violence as a weapon of war,” the Treasury Department explained in a written statement. “As the overall commander of the RSF, Hemedti bears command responsibility for the abhorrent and illegal actions of his forces.”
Hemedti himself was sanctioned. The U.A.E, supports Hemedti, although it is difficult to understand why. Thus, seven UAE-based companies were sanctioned for providing support to Hemedti and the RSF.
Although the RSF is engaged in a civil war against the Sudanese army, the U.S. statements did not portray the army in a positive light. Rather, both armed forces appear to be highly abusive toward the population—but the RSF is significantly more so.
“For nearly two years, Hemedti’s RSF has engaged in a brutal armed conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of Sudan, killing tens of thousands, displacing 12 million Sudanese, and triggering widespread starvation,” the Treasury Department said.
In 2019, Hemedti and Sudan’s current leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, combined to overthrow the long-time Sudanese leader. Onar al-Bashir, who had ruled the country for 30 years—since he, himself, took power in a military coup in 1989.
After seizing power, Bashir allied his country with Iraq and its President, Saddam Hussein. Bashir remained allied with Iraq, even after Saddam invaded Kuwait the following year, and even after the U.S.-led war that drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
Bashir himself was a brutal ruler, and he was also charged with committing genocide in Darfur.
Sanctioned Companies
The seven UAE companies sanctioned on Tuesday all belong to Abu Dharr Abdul Nabi Habiballa Ahmmed, a Sudanese national living in the UAE.
Abu Dharr has close ties to Hemedti and, along with the RSF leader, he personally, was sanctioned—as were his seven companies.
They include Capital Tap Holding, which the Treasury Department described as “a UAE-based holding company that manages 50 companies over ten countries” and which “has provided the RSF with money and military equipment.”
There is also Capital Tap Management Consultancies and Capital Tap General Trading. All three of Abu Dharr’s Capital Tap companies were sanctioned.
Creative Python is another of Abu Dharr’s companies. It “serves as a cut-out to obfuscate Hemedti’s business dealings to avoid sanctions,” the Treasury Department stated.
Al Zumoroud and Al Yaqoot Gold & Jewellers “is a UAE-based gold purchasing company managed by Abu Dharr,” the Treasury Department said. “AZ Gold has purchased gold from Sudan, presumably for the benefit of the RSF, and subsequently transported it to Dubai.”
Al Jil Al Qadem General Trading is co-owned and co-managed by Abu Dharr and has longstanding ties to the RSF.
Finally, Horizon Advanced Solutions is a UAE-based subsidiary of Capital Tap Holding. It operates in the fields of security and information technology, and it, along with the other companies, was sanctioned as well.
