Unraveling the Truth: Addressing Genocide in Sudan and Enforcing Justice

On April 15, 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) instigated a conflict marked by extreme violence that has culminated in the largest humanitarian disaster globally, leaving 638,000 Sudanese enduring the direst famine in Sudan’s recent past, over 30 million individuals requiring humanitarian assistance, and tens of thousands deceased. In December 2023, I concluded that members of the SAF and the RSF had perpetrated war crimes. I also determined that members of the RSF and allied Arab militias were involved in crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

The RSF and RSF-affiliated militias have persistently executed assaults on civilians. The RSF and its allied militias have systematically slain men and boys—even infants—based on ethnicity, and have intentionally targeted women and girls from specific ethnic groups for sexual assault and other forms of severe sexual violence. These same militias have attacked fleeing civilians, killing innocent individuals attempting to escape the conflict, and have obstructed remaining civilians from accessing essential supplies. Given this information, I have now established that members of the RSF and allied militias are guilty of genocide in Sudan.

The United States is dedicated to ensuring accountability for those responsible for these atrocities. We are today imposing sanctions on RSF leader Mohammad Hamdan Daglo Mousa, known as Hemedti, due to his involvement in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese populace. We are also sanctioning seven RSF-owned enterprises situated in the United Arab Emirates and one individual for their roles in sourcing weapons for the RSF. Furthermore, we are announcing Hemedti’s designation under Section 7031(c) for his participation in gross human rights abuses in Darfur, specifically the mass sexual assault of civilians by RSF soldiers under his command. Consequently, Hemedti and his immediate family members are barred from entering the United States.

Hemedti has blatantly disregarded obligations under international humanitarian law, the 2023 “Jeddah Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan,” and the 2024 Code of Conduct developed by the Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan initiative. This code entails commitments to ensure the unobstructed movement of humanitarian aid and to avert war crimes such as sexual violence, which the RSF and allied militias under Hemedti’s command have committed.

Today’s measures are part of our ongoing efforts to foster accountability for all warring factions whose actions exacerbate this conflict. The United States does not endorse either faction in this war, and these actions against Hemedti and the RSF do not indicate support or preference for the SAF. Both factions share accountability for the violence and suffering in Sudan and lack the legitimacy to govern a future peaceful Sudan. The United States continues to assess further measures to impose consequences on those perpetuating the conflict and heinous acts against the Sudanese populace. We also persist in aiding the Sudanese people in realizing their ambitions for a peaceful, equitable, and inclusive democratic future, which is why in December I announced that the United States will allocate $30 million to support Sudanese civil society organizations.

The Department of the Treasury actions were executed pursuant to Executive Order 14098, “Imposing Sanctions on Certain Persons Destabilizing Sudan and Undermining the Goal of a Democratic Transition,” as amended. For further details regarding today’s measures, please refer to Treasury’s press release. The public designation is made according to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024 (Div. F, P.L. 118-47), as carried forward by the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (Div. A, P.L. 118-158).