RSF Commander Hemedti (Courtesy)
Washington, February 19, 2026
By Savanna Radio News Desk
The United States has imposed sanctions on three senior commanders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing them of leading a brutal campaign of atrocities during the paramilitary group’s 18‑month siege and capture of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The move targets their assets under US jurisdiction and bars American individuals and entities from doing business with them.
According to the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the three commanders, Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam, also known as “Abu Lulu,” Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed, known as “Abu Shok,” and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed, known as “Al Zeir Salem” are being sanctioned for their direct roles in a campaign the US says involved ethnic killings, torture, starvation, and widespread sexual violence in and around El Fasher. Washington says RSF fighters under their command trapped an estimated hundreds of thousands of civilians in the besieged city, cutting off food and aid and subjecting residents and displaced people to relentless attacks.
US officials allege that during the siege, which culminated in the RSF’s capture of El Fasher in October 2025, RSF units carried out summary executions, mass detentions, and systematic rape targeting non‑Arab communities. One of the commanders, Idris, is accused of personally filming himself killing unarmed civilians and boasting about the number of people he had executed, as well as abusing captured Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers and civilians before shooting them at close range.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the designations are aimed at increasing pressure on the RSF to halt its offensive and accept a humanitarian ceasefire. “We will not tolerate this ongoing campaign of terror and senseless killing in Sudan,” he warned, adding that the continuation of the war risks further destabilizing the region and creating conditions for extremist groups to grow. The US sanctions follow earlier moves by the United Kingdom and the European Union, which blacklisted the same RSF commanders in December and January.
Sudan has been gripped by a devastating war between the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, and the SAF, commanded by General Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan, since April 2023. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 14 million, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with large parts of Darfur and other regions facing extreme food insecurity and near‑collapse of basic services. UN investigators recently reported that the RSF’s destruction in El Fasher bears “hallmarks of genocide,” citing coordinated attacks, rape, and torture against non‑Arab communities.
Under the new measures, all property and interests in property of the three RSF commanders that fall under US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Washington has also warned foreign financial institutions and companies that they could face secondary sanctions if they are found to be assisting or doing business with the designated individuals. US officials say the goal is not only to punish, but to change the behavior of armed actors by raising the costs of continued abuses.
Rights groups and Sudanese activists have welcomed the designations but stress that targeted sanctions must be combined with stronger international action to protect civilians on the ground in Darfur and across Sudan. They are urging the UN Security Council and African and Arab regional bodies to push for an immediate ceasefire, expanded humanitarian access, and accountability mechanisms capable of investigating and prosecuting atrocities committed by all parties to the conflict.
Savanna Radio will continue to monitor international diplomatic efforts on Sudan and the evolving situation for civilians in Darfur and other war‑affected regions.
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