Tue Nov 12 19:01:16 UTC 2024: ## US Imposes Sanctions on Sudanese Commander Accused of War Crimes in West Darfur
**Washington, D.C.** – The United States has imposed sanctions on Abdel Rahman Juma Barkalla, a commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) accused of leading a campaign of violence and human rights abuses in West Darfur, Sudan.
The US Department of the Treasury, in a statement released Tuesday, labeled Barkalla a “primary party responsible for the ongoing violence against civilians in Sudan since May 2023.” The department cited credible reports alleging that Barkalla oversaw “terror unleashed on the local population,” including sexual and ethnically motivated violence, as well as the kidnapping and killing of Khamis Abbaka, the governor of West Darfur.
The US sanctions, which include asset freezes and travel bans, come on the heels of similar action by a United Nations Security Council committee that also blacklisted Barkalla. The UN also imposed sanctions on Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, the RSF’s head of operations.
These actions underscore the international community’s condemnation of the violence in Sudan, where the RSF, under the leadership of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), has been engaged in a deadly conflict with the Sudanese army since April 2023.
The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with over 10 million people displaced, including 2.4 million who have fled to neighboring countries. The UN estimates that the RSF, with the support of Arab militias, has killed between 10,000 and 15,000 people in the West Darfur capital of el-Geneina alone.
In its statement, the Treasury Department urged both sides of the conflict to participate in peace talks and ensure the basic human rights of all Sudanese civilians. The US continues to call for an end to the violence and a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
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