The United Nations Security Council has levied targeted sanctions against four high-ranking commanders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for their direct involvement in atrocities committed during the capture of el-Fasher. Among those designated are Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo (brother of RSF chief Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo) and Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, infamously dubbed the ‘Butcher of el-Fasher.’ The list also includes deputy commander Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and field commander Tijani Ibrahim.
This decisive action follows a damning UN fact-finding mission report that characterized the RSF’s violent October takeover of the city as bearing the ‘hallmarks of a genocide.’ The operation, which ended an 18-month siege on the capital of North Darfur, was described as ‘three days of horror’ marked by summary executions, systematic sexual violence, and mass detentions primarily targeting the ethnic Zaghawa population.
The UN cited extensive evidence, including graphic videos posted by Idris himself, showing him executing civilians and boasting of killing over 2,000 people. Dagalo was identified as having overseen operations on the day of the capture, during which his forces conducted mass killings and ethnically targeted executions.
This marks the fourth international sanction designation for Dagalo, following similar actions by the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union. While war crimes investigators from The Sentry organization welcome the coordinated targeting of officials, they emphasize that far more comprehensive measures are needed to impose real financial consequences on the RSF and its support networks.
The conflict in Sudan, escalating since April 2023 between the RSF and national army, has created what the UN describes as a ‘war of atrocities,’ resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and triggering the world’s most severe hunger and displacement crisis. According to the UN refugee agency, over 70,000 people have fled el-Fasher since its capture, with many civilians remaining trapped, missing, or detained by RSF forces within the city.
The specific sanctions imposed were not detailed in the announcement, though the UN Security Council holds authority to implement measures including asset freezes and travel bans.