UN Sanctions RSF Commanders over Darfur Atrocities
The United Nations Security Council has imposed sanctions on four commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing them of committing atrocities against civilians in Darfur that UN experts say bear the “hallmarks of genocide.”
The sanctions target RSF leaders involved in the October 26, 2025 takeover of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after an 18 month siege. According to UN officials, several thousand civilians were killed during the assault, thousands more were wounded, and only 40 percent of the city’s 260,000 residents managed to escape. The fate of the rest remains unknown.
Those sanctioned face travel bans and asset freezes. They include Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, brother of RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, who was filmed ordering fighters to kill rather than take captives. Lt. Gen. Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, Brig. Gen. Al Fateh Abdullah Idris, nicknamed “the Butcher of El Fasher”, and field commander Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed were also named.
The UN committee monitoring sanctions said the violence included ethnically targeted executions, mass killings, and widespread sexual violence, including gang rapes and kidnappings. Video evidence shows Idris boasting about killing more than 2,000 people and filming himself among corpses.
The RSF, formed in 2013, grew out of the Janjaweed militia, notorious for brutal campaigns in Darfur since the early 2000s. Former US diplomat Cameron Hudson described the sanctions as an important step, urging the UN to go further and designate the RSF as a terrorist group. He said the move reasserts the UN’s role in Sudan and should be seen as a moment to intensify efforts to end the fighting and ensure accountability.
The sanctions follow similar measures by the United Kingdom in December and a recent report by UN backed human rights experts documenting atrocities in El Fasher. The report detailed mass killings, sexual violence, and conditions imposed by the RSF that were “calculated to bring about the physical destruction” of non Arab communities.
UN officials say the latest action underscores international concern over the scale of violence in Darfur and the urgent need for justice. With Sudan’s war between the RSF and the army dragging on since 2023, the Security Council’s decision highlights the growing pressure on the RSF and its commanders to face accountability for crimes committed against civilians.
