U.S. sanctions Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan amid rising conflict and humanitarian crisis

The United States imposed sanctions on Sudan’s leader and army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on Thursday, accusing him of prioritizing war over negotiations to end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions. The U.S. Treasury Department stated that under Burhan’s leadership, the army has engaged in indiscriminate bombings of civilian infrastructure, attacks on schools, markets, and hospitals, as well as extrajudicial killings. The sanctions, first reported by Reuters, were announced a week after the U.S. imposed measures against Burhan’s rival, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). According to two sources familiar with the matter, the move was intended to demonstrate that the U.S. is not taking sides in the two-year civil war. Earlier on Thursday, Burhan dismissed the significance of potential sanctions. “I hear there’s going to be sanctions on the army leadership. We welcome any sanctions for serving this country,” he said in a statement broadcast on Al Jazeera. The U.S. also imposed sanctions targeting those involved in supplying weapons to the Sudanese army, including a Sudanese-Ukrainian national and a Hong Kong-based company. The measures freeze their U.S. assets and bar Americans from doing business with them. However, the Treasury Department issued authorizations to ensure that humanitarian assistance and specific transactions involving the warring factions are not hindered. The conflict erupted in April 2023 after a breakdown in relations between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which had jointly staged a coup in 2021 to overthrow Sudan’s civilian government. The war has left half of Sudan’s population facing hunger. Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, was sanctioned after the U.S. determined that his forces committed genocide and attacked civilians. The RSF has also been accused of widespread looting in territories under its control. Sudan’s foreign ministry criticized the U.S. sanctions, calling them “confused” and accusing Washington of supporting genocide by the RSF. The United States and Saudi Arabia have made repeated efforts to mediate between the warring sides, but the Sudanese army has rejected most initiatives, including talks in Geneva in August aimed at improving humanitarian access. Instead, the army has intensified its military campaign, recently capturing the strategic city of Wad Madani and pledging to retake Khartoum. Human rights groups and local residents have accused the army of indiscriminate airstrikes and attacks on civilians, including recent reprisal strikes in Wad Madani. Both the army and the RSF have previously been found responsible for war crimes by U.S. authorities. Outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed regret over the unresolved conflict during his final press conference before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. While U.S. diplomacy has improved some aspects of humanitarian aid delivery, Blinken acknowledged that efforts had fallen short of ending the violence, abuses, and suffering. “We’ll keep working here for the next three days, and I hope the next administration will take that on as well,” he said.