Author: Aisha Noor
January 10, 2025
HRRC strongly advocates for international cooperation and properly coordinated action to bring criminals to justice and thus prevent new mass killings.
The United States Government has, for the first time, declared the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) allied militias in Sudan as involved in acts of genocide.
The U.S. State Department, under Antony Blinken, labelled RSF as perpetrating systematic attacks on civilians, particularly men and boys, because of their ethnicity. The RSF also use sexual violence against women and girls as an instrument of war. But, as Blinken pointed out, the RSF has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million.
In response, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, denying him access to Ameritond frozen properties. Moreover, seven companies registered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and belonging to the RSF were declared terrorists and subjected to sanctions because they allegedly provided the RSF with funding.
For the past eight years now, the international community has been calling for an arms embargo on any nation that supplies weapons to the Sudanese military forces. However, the practice has continued and countries like the UAE have been accused of arming both the RSF and Sudanese military forces.
HRRC condemns these acts of genocide and urges the international community take action to stop them and hold perpetrators accountable. Further, as the situation in Sudan becomes more and more desperate, HRRC calls on the international community to step up its provision of humanitarian assistance and, most importantly, provide protection to civilians, especially in areas where egregious violations of human rights are being perpetrated.
Glossary
Allegedly: Claimed or asserted to be true, but not yet proven or confirmed.
Arms Embargo: A ban or restriction on the trade of weapons to a specific country or group, usually to prevent conflict or violence.
Egregious: Extremely bad or shocking, often in a way that is obvious and unacceptable.
Genocide: The deliberate and systematic killing of a large group of people, particularly those of a specific ethnic, racial, or religious group.
Militias: Armed groups made up of civilians, often operating independently of formal military forces.
Sanctions: Punishments or restrictions imposed by one country (or group of countries) on another, often in the form of trade bans or economic penalties.
Systematic: Done or organized in a methodical and planned way.
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