Adedokun Waliyu 
The United States is imposing sanctions on the deputy leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over human rights abuses, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations will announce during a trip to Chad’s border with Sudan on Wednesday.
The move to target Abdelrahim Dagalo – brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti – is the highest profile use of sanctions since conflict between the RSF and Sudan’s army broke out in mid-April and an apparent response to the dramatic violence seen in West Darfur, which the RSF is accused of perpetrating along with allied militias.
The RSF has denied the accusations by conflict monitors, rights groups and witnesses that it is behind the violence, while saying any of its soldiers found to be involved would be brought to justice.
Dagalo is the first official on either side to be sanctioned since the start of the war. Previous sanctions, levied on companies, also targeted the army.
He is being sanctioned “for his connection to abuses by the RSF against civilians in Sudan, including conflict-related sexual violence and killings based on ethnicity,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield will tell reporters, according to prepared remarks seen by Reuters.
Thomas-Greenfield is making the announcement after meeting Sudanese refugees who have fled worsening ethnic and sexual violence in Sudan’s Darfur region, which she described as “reminiscent” of atrocities 20 years ago, also in Darfur, that Washington declared a genocide.
Victims of the violence describe targeting of the Masalit ethnic group, razing of neighbourhoods, and widespread looting and rape that pushed hundreds of thousands into Chad. The International Criminal Court has announced an investigation into the violence.
