The US Congress needs to designate the RSF in Sudan as a terrorist organisation

In April 2023, a war broke out in Sudan between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia; its impact has been dire, with thousands killed and millions displaced. The US Congress has pushed for an end to this war. Thus far, there have been several bills proposed in Congress; taken together, they address the serious risk of the RSF and seek to block the funds it receives from abroad, namely the UAE. This effort is of great importance, and it should be backed fully as it saves the lives of the Sudanese people and tackles the crisis at its root.

The RSF emerged primarily from restructuring the Janjaweed militia in 2013. The intention was that it would support the Khartoum government’s counterinsurgency operations in Darfur and South Kordofan. In 2017, the Sudanese parliament passed a law legitimising its activities, but it has since been engaged in countless crimes and atrocities, destroying villages, killing protestors, sexual violations and rape, mass killings and unlawful detentions. It has also targeted hospitals and churches and attacked journalists and media institutions, while killing people according to their ethnicity; and children have been recruited as soldiers.

The RSF has expanded its power with support from the UAE and its allies.

In December 2019, an investigative report exposed that the UAE supported the militia with millions of dollars in addition to vehicles that were repurposed for use in military operations. The UAE is also hosting the militia’s social media team, while several reports have claimed that it is directly supplying the RSF with military support through Chad using a hospital it established as cover. Recently, UAE-made armoured vehicles equipped with French systems were found to have been captured by the RSF militia. Reportedly, the UAE is behind the support that the militia has received from Russia’s Wagner group in Libya and the Central Republic of Africa in coordination with its allies in these countries. The UAE intention, it appears, is that if and when the RSF takes power in Sudan, Abu Dhabi will have access to Sudan’s agricultural resources and strategic ports on the Red Sea. This reckless intervention overlooks the serious risk of providing Wagner and Russia with a strong ally in Sudan that will destabilise regional and international security.

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RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — also known as Hemedti — visited Russia and openly backed its invasion of Ukraine. He once threatened Europe with an influx of immigrants if it rejected any measure of which he was part. His warning revealed how far the militia leader would go in weaponising the immigration issue, and the threat he poses to the whole region.

Thankfully, in a successful move to counter the RSF militia, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution that recognises the actions of the militia in Darfur as acts of genocide. The resolution cited independent reports that show how the militia targeted non-Arabic-speaking tribes in a clear ethnic cleansing campaign. The resolution also urged the US government to work with the international community to protect civilians in Sudan, and to open an investigation into genocide.

There are, however, several bills pending in Congress that effectively address the risk of the RSF. A couple of them, the Stand Up for Sudan Act, and a joint resolution of disapproval in the Senate demand the block of US arms sales to the UAE citing its support for the militia. A group of senators have introduced the Sudan Accountability Act to hold perpetrators of violence, including the RSF, accountable. Moreover, a group of four congressmen have called on President Joe Biden to sanction the RSF and its leaders for gross human rights violations. Congress members, on both sides, should work collaboratively and speed up the process of passing these crucial bills.

The US Congress really does need to designate the RSF as a terrorist organisation.

This is now more legitimate and necessary than ever before, based on the scale of human rights violations and massacres that the militia has committed against the people of Sudan. Such a designation will place a practical limit on the movements of the RSF and will have a significant impact on its operations and funding. It will also send a strong signal to the world that it has no place in Sudan’s future and is not welcomed by the US government.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.