UN Sanctions Sudan Paramilitary Leaders Over El-Fasher Atrocities

The UN Security Council sanctioned four leaders of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for atrocities committed during the capture of El-Fasher. Deputy commander Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo and Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu or the “Butcher of El-Fasher,” were among those targeted. RSF deputy commander Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and field commander Tijani Ibrahim were also sanctioned.

A spokesperson for Tasis, a coalition led by the RSF, called the sanctions “unfair,” describing the UN reports as “partial” and “unneutral.”

The RSF’s takeover of El-Fasher in October was one of the most brutal episodes of Sudan’s nearly three-year civil war. A UN fact-finding mission reported that the campaign bore the hallmarks of genocide. While the RSF admitted some “violations” occurred, it insisted the scale of the atrocities had been exaggerated. Tasis claimed it had evacuated more than 800,000 civilians and provided food and medicine, calling the sanctions “unjust.”

The UN stated that Dagalo, brother of RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, had overseen operations during the El-Fasher capture, including mass killings and ethnically targeted executions. This marked Dagalo’s fourth sanctions designation, following previous measures by the US, UK, and EU.

The Sentry, an investigative US nonprofit targeting conflict profiteering, welcomed the alignment in sanctions but emphasized that broader financial consequences against the RSF were still needed.

Sudan had been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, as fighting between the RSF and the army escalated into what the UN described as a “war of atrocities,” leaving tens of thousands dead and triggering severe hunger and displacement. For 18 months, the RSF besieged El-Fasher, taking control on 26 October.

The UN fact-finding mission described “three days of horror” in the city, marked by summary executions, systematic sexual violence, and mass detention, primarily targeting the Zaghawa ethnic group. Abu Lulu earned the nickname “Butcher of El-Fasher” by posting graphic videos of the takeover, including footage allegedly showing him executing civilians.

Tasis stated Abu Lulu had been imprisoned by its forces, framing abuses as “individual incidents” rather than official RSF policy. The US had sanctioned Dagalo in September 2023 and the three other commanders last week for their involvement in killings, torture, starvation, and sexual violence. Britain had sanctioned all four in December.

The UN did not specify the sanctions measures but has authority to enforce asset freezes and travel bans. More than 70,000 civilians fled El-Fasher after its capture, with many remaining trapped, missing, or detained by the RSF, according to the UN refugee agency.

Erizia Rubyjeana