On January 7, 2025, the United States officially declared that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.** This declaration marks the most important shift in U.S. policy since the war erupted in April 2023. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the RSF and allied militias have systematically murdered men and boys, including infants, on an ethnic basis. They have also deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal conflict-related sexual violence.
The RSF’s actions have led to a humanitarian catastrophe, with tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, and widespread famine. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and several RSF-owned companies located in the United Arab Emirates—a step that Sudanese and international rights groups had been calling for over a year.
The sanctions against Hemedti and the declaration of genocide crimes committed by the RSF in Sudan is a step forward towards holding the top leader of the RSF militias accountable for crimes committed under his command. The militia is known to be supported by the UAE and other states like Russia, both countries helped RSF to avoid such sanctions for too long, as Russia continue to block Un security councils resolutions. The U.S. declaration comes in the last two weeks of Biden’s administration, which undermines the impact of the step. But this declaration must set the ground for more serious actions against RSF and other belligerents.
Sudan is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today, with over 30 million people facing hunger and famine. The levels of atrocities witnessed by the Sudanese people are beyond words and description. Women and girls are bearing the heavy weight of this conflict as their bodies are used as part of the battleground. The latest OCHA gender analysis reported that fewer than 30% of women and girls accessed any humanitarian aid in 2024. The systemic obstruction of aid and use of starvation as a weapon of war is another war crime committed by the warring parties.
The victims of the heinous war crimes committed by the RSF and other parties in the war call for actions beyond words. They need protection, justice, and respect for their human dignity. Such actions can only be achieved when the U.S. and other international stakeholders step up to their responsibility to protect civilians. It is unfortunate to see the world watch another genocide happen in Sudan in less than 25 years and remain salient. The calls of local and international groups, including women-led organizations, to the U.S. government to impose an arms embargo over Sudan and target the countries providing weapons and money fueling this war have gone in vain so far. The calls for the extension judication of the International Criminal Court to include all the regions suffering from the conflict have not been reflected in actions.
Despite the mounting atrocities, the world has failed Sudanese women and girls. No actions have been taken by the international community to provide protection against the widespread CRSV and other crimes against women committed by the RSF and included in the declaration of genocide by the State Department.
The declaration of genocide by the U.S. underscores the urgent need for international intervention to protect civilians and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need. The international community must act swiftly to address the crisis in Sudan and support efforts to bring peace and justice to the victims of this catastrophic war. The next U.S. administration should build on this important step and work with other actors to hold all war criminals in Sudan and take actions to end this war.
