Just days before leaving office, the Biden administration has imposed sanctions on General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), accusing him of destabilizing the war-torn nation, Al Jazeera reports.
The move comes in response to the SAF’s alleged “lethal attacks on civilians,” including airstrikes targeting protected infrastructure like schools, markets, and hospitals, according to a statement released by the US Treasury Department on Thursday.
The sanctions on al-Burhan follow a similar action taken earlier this month against Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group locked in a bloody conflict with the SAF since April 2023. The Treasury Department accused the RSF, under Dagalo’s command, of “serious human rights abuses, including widespread sexual violence and executing defenseless civilians and unarmed fighters.” Furthermore, the US has accused the RSF and its allied militias of committing genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
The conflict between the SAF and RSF has plunged Sudan into a dire humanitarian crisis. The violence has resulted in the deaths of thousands and led to the displacement of more than 8 million Sudanese within the country, with an additional 3 million fleeing to neighboring nations, according to the United Nations. A UN-backed group monitoring global hunger also recently warned that famine is spreading rapidly across Sudan, with confirmed famine conditions in parts of Darfur and other regions.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored that the Sudanese Armed Forces “continues to target civilians.” He expressed hope that the incoming Trump administration would continue to work towards ending the conflict. Blinken did not elaborate on specific strategies the new administration should employ.
The Biden administration’s sanctions represent a final push to address the escalating crisis in Sudan before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday. The future direction of US policy towards Sudan will now be in the hands of the incoming administration as the country teeters on the brink of further humanitarian disaster.
