Washington — The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury on Thursday imposed sanctions on three commanders of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia for their actions in El-Fashir.
In a statement, the Treasury Department said the individuals were involved in the RSF's 18-month siege of El-Fashir, which culminated in its takeover and was marked by a campaign of ethnic killings, torture, starvation, and sexual violence.
Since the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, "rebel forces and allied militias have committed widespread atrocities, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide," the statement said.
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The United States called on the militia to immediately adhere to a humanitarian ceasefire, affirming that it will not tolerate what it described as an "ongoing terrorist campaign and indiscriminate killing in Sudan."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that without a swift end to the war, further regional destabilization would follow, creating conditions conducive to the growth of terrorist groups and threatening U.S. security and interests.
The U.S. action follows similar sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom Government and the European Union on the same individuals on 12 December 2025 and 29 January 2026, respectively.
The United States reaffirmed its commitment to working with the international community to secure lasting peace in Sudan, which continues to endure a brutal civil war between the RSF militia and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The conflict has generated what is described as the world's worst ongoing humanitarian crisis, with more than 150,000 people killed and over 14 million displaced.
From May 2024 to October 2025, the RSF militia and allied armed groups imposed a tight siege on El-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur and the last SAF stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces in Darfur, launching sustained attacks on the city and surrounding displacement camps. Over the 18-month period, the militia progressively tightened the blockade, intensified indiscriminate shelling, and constructed earthen barriers around the city to prevent the entry of food and humanitarian assistance.
These measures effectively trapped an estimated 260,000 civilians, leading to widespread disease outbreaks and famine conditions.
Amid fierce urban combat with SAF-aligned with the Sudanese Armed Forces, RSF fighters reportedly carried out summary executions, torture, and sexual violence, targeting civilians based on ethnic and tribal identity, regardless of age or gender.
Massacres were also committed against civilians attempting to flee El-Fashir in search of safety.
Following the militia's complete seizure of the city on 26 October, it intensified a campaign of systematic and widespread killings, arbitrary detentions, and sexual violence, targeting civilians and pro-SAF fighters alike.
After seizing control, the militia reportedly launched a coordinated effort to conceal evidence of mass killings by burying, burning, and disposing of tens of thousands of bodies. Tens of thousands of El-Fashir residents remain missing.
Among those designated is Al-Fatih Abdullah Idris Adam (Idris), also known as "Abu Lolo," a brigadier in the RSF, who filmed himself in El-Fashir killing unarmed civilians and boasting of killing thousands.
Idris interrogated civilians and captured Sudanese Armed Forces personnel, mocked and verbally abused them, questioned them about their tribal affiliations, forced them to chant pro-RSF slogans, and in some instances threatened rape. He then executed detainees at close range while they were unarmed.
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Although the militia reportedly detained Idris over human rights violations, such detentions are believed to be staged attempts to deflect responsibility for atrocities committed by its commanders and fighters in El-Fashir.
Idris also committed similar atrocities elsewhere in Sudan, including in March 2024, when he and other RSF fighters executed SAF detainees at Al-Gaili oil refinery north of Khartoum.
Jiddo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed ("Abu Shouk"), a major general in the RSF and commander of North Darfur since 2021, and Tijani Ibrahim Musa Mohammed ("Al-Zeer Salem"), an RSF field commander, were also sanctioned. During their leadership, RSF forces besieged and ultimately captured El-Fashir, carrying out widespread atrocities including massacres, abductions, torture, and gender-based violence.
Following the city's takeover, both Jiddo and Tijani were documented on video at a former SAF base in El-Fashir, providing further evidence of their direct involvement in the militia's operations.
