The US accuses the Sudanese RSF of genocide and imposes sanctions against its leader, Mohammed Dagal

The US has accused the Sudanese Rapid Support Force (RSF) of committing genocide and imposed sanctions on its leader.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday that Mohammed Hamdan Dagala, also known as Hemedti, had been executed for his role in “systematic” atrocities against the Sudanese people during the 20-month conflict.

He said the RSF and allied militias were responsible for killing “men and boys – even babies” and brutal sexual violence against women along ethnic lines.

Blinken said militias have also targeted fleeing civilians and killed innocent people fleeing the conflict.

“Based on this information, I have concluded that members of the RSF and allied militias committed genocide in Sudan,” he said.

In response, RSF accused the US of double standards and failure to effectively deal with the current crisis.

“The decision … demonstrates the inability of (US President Joe) Biden’s administration to deal with the Sudan crisis and the double standards it has followed (regarding the crisis),” adviser Hemedti El-Basha Tbek said in a post on his X account.

He added that this could complicate the Sudanese crisis and hinder negotiations to eliminate the root causes of the conflict.

The RSF have been fighting the Sudanese military since April 2023, and their wartime behavior is on the rise.

Both sides are accused of atrocities, and the conflict has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.

In May, the US special envoy for Sudan, Tom Periello, said some estimates put the death toll in the conflict at up to 150,000.

Famine has been declared in several parts of the country, with experts saying 24.6 million people – roughly half the population – are in urgent need of food aid.

Mr Blinken said neither the RSF nor the Sudanese military were fit to rule Sudan.

“Both warring parties are responsible for the violence and suffering in Sudan and have no legitimacy to lead a future peaceful Sudan,” he said.

The sanctions prohibit Hemedti and his family members from visiting the United States, and any personal assets are frozen there.

Seven companies owned by the RSF and based in the United Arab Emirates and another individual are also under sanctions for helping the paramilitary group procure weapons.