US imposes sanctions on Sudan’s RSF leader Hemedti

The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Mohammed Hamdani Daglo, also known as Hemedti, the leader of Sudan’s paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), for committing ‘genocide’ in Darfur.

The move is the first direct penalty to the topmost leader of a warring faction in Sudan, whose war against the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) has led to more than 20,000 deaths since April 2023.

A dispatch from the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) said Hemedti, whose full name is Mohammed Hamdan Daglo Moussa, has led a group that has committed a series of atrocities that Washington determined as genocide. 

Ofac said it was sanctioning him, companies associated with him and an ally who runs those companies under Executive Order (E.O.) 14098, where certain persons deemed to be destabilising “and undermining the goal of a democratic transition” are punished.

In addition, Ofac also sanctioned seven companies and one individual linked to the RSF. 

All the companies are based in the United Arab Emirates, raising new questions on the role of Abu Dhabi in the war in Sudan. Emirati authorities have been refuting accusations of arming the RSF.

“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 statement said.

“The RSF's ability to acquire military equipment and generate finances continue to fuel the conflict in Sudan. Capital Tap Holding LLC (Capital Tap Holding), based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has provided money and weapons to the RSF.” 

Wally Adeyemo, the US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury said the sanctions are meant to push an end to the conflict, which has displaced more than 12 million people both inside and outside Sudan.

The move comes after Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined that the RSF has perpetrated genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan during the course of the war.

Washington had previously concluded that members of the RSF and its allied militias had engaged in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.

“Under Hemedti’s leadership, the RSF has engaged in serious human rights abuses, including widespread sexual violence and executing defenseless civilians and unarmed fighters.

“The RSF has also used the denial of humanitarian relief as a weapon of war against the people of Sudan, systematically violating its obligations—including international humanitarian law, the 2023 Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan, and the 2024 Code of Conduct that the RSF accepted as part of the Aligned to Protect Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS).”

By sanctioning Hemedti, the US has upped its dissuasion of war by targeting the topmost leader of a warring faction in Sudan.

It may also give relative legitimacy to the SAF led by Abdel Fattah a-Burhan, who had been calling for a denial of support for the RSF by the international community.

But it also signals that no one is exempt from sanctions. 

Previously, Washington avoided punishing both Hemedti and Burhan in order to persuade them to choose dialogue. The sanctions now mean that the US may have run out of patience.

Sanctions like this have been criticised by countries like Russia, which argued before the UN Security Council on Monday that external pressure was violating Sudan's sovereignty.

“We deem inadmissible any destructive external interference in the affairs of the friendly State of Sudan,” said Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN.

Hemedti as the RSF commander was fingered for his campaign in Darfur, Gezira, and other combat areas, where they are said to have committed “a litany of documented war crimes and atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings and sexual violence as a weapon of war.”

“As the overall commander of the RSF, Hemedti bears command responsibility for the abhorrent and illegal actions of his forces.

The sanctions mean US entities are barred from dealing with Hemedti and he is barred from setting foot on US soil. 

Enthusiasts of Sudan’s democracy project say the sanctions could push the RSF leader into a corner to accept dialogue.

“Without serious measures of legal and financial accountability, the RSF will continue its rampage. Today's actions by the Biden administration – including the genocide determination as well as sanctions against Hemedti and some of the foreign firms profiting from Sudan’s chaos – are an important start to creating that accountability,” said John Prendergast, co-founder of US governance watchdog, The Sentry.

“RSF leader General Hemedti is ultimately responsible for some of the most heinous atrocities being committed anywhere in the world today. These actions hopefully can provide leverage both for deterring future human rights crimes as well as for helping to drag the RSF into treating ceasefire negotiations more seriously.”

Previously, the US and the UK targeted senior leaders in both camps, as well as firms said to be aiding the flow of weapons and cash.

On Tuesday, the US Department of Treasury listed other companies for aiding RSF. They include Capital Tap Holding LLC (Capital Tap Holding), a UAE-based holding company that manages 50 companies over 10 countries, that is said to have provided the RSF with money and military equipment, and it is owned by Sudanese national Abu Dharr Abdul Nabi Habiballa Ahmmed (Abu Dharr). Ahmmed also owns leads several other related companies sanctioned by Ofac. 

Others are Capital Tap Management Consultancies LLC (Capital Tap Management) and Capital Tap General Trading LLC (Capital Tap General), subsidiaries of Capital Tap Holdings, based in the UAE.

Creative Python LLC (Creative Python), a UAE-based company, owned and managed by Abu Dharr, which has reportedly helped Hemedti and allies to avoid sanctions and is managed Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa (Algoney), brother of Hemedti. Algoney was sanctioned on October 8, 2024.

Al Zumoroud and Al Yaqoot Gold & Jewellers LLC (AZ Gold), a UAE-based gold purchasing company managed by Abu Dharr.

Al Jil Al Qadem General Trading LLC (Al Jil Al Qadem), a UAE-based company co-owned and co-managed by Abu Dharr.

Horizon Advanced Solutions General Trading LLC – Sole Proprietorship (Horizon Advanced Solutions), a UAE-based subsidiary of Capital Tap Holding.