Why Britain must designate the RSF a terrorist entity

Last November, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia overran El-Fashir—the largest refuge for displaced families in Darfur—with chilling speed. Within days, thousands were slaughtered for no reason other than their ethnic identity. Women were raped in the open, their bodies turned into battlegrounds. Those who managed to flee found no safety beyond the city’s borders; they were hunted on the road, or stopped and forced to give blood to the very men who had destroyed their homes. The brutality did not end with the killing. In a desperate attempt to erase evidence, RSF fighters dug mass graves—an atrocity later exposed by independent experts analyzing satellite imagery.

But El-Fashir’s final collapse was only the end of a far longer ordeal. Long before the city fell, it had been choked by an 18-month siege. Its residents, already clinging to survival, were deliberately starved as food supplies dwindled and humanitarian and water access were blocked.

In other parts of the country, the militia conducted drone strikes on civilian targets such as hospitals, airports, and oil refineries, aiming at advancing its political interests. These actions qualify as terrorist activities and should lead the UK government to designate the militia as a terrorist organization.

In April 2023, a conflict erupted in Sudan between the Sudanese National Army and the Rapid Support Forces militia, which is mainly sponsored by the UAE. The consequences have been catastrophic, with published figures indicating thousands of deaths and millions of people forced from their homes. The UN considers Sudan to be the worst humanitarian crisis.

The Rapid Support Forces originated mainly from the 2013 reorganisation of the infamous Janjaweed militia. They were established to assist government counterinsurgency efforts in Darfur and South Kordofan. The Sudanese parliament formally legitimized its operations through legislation in 2017. Throughout the conflict, the RSF has been responsible for numerous atrocities, including village devastation, protester killings, sexual assaults, mass murders, illegal imprisonments, attacks on medical facilities and religious buildings, aggression toward media personnel and organizations, ethnically-motivated violence, and the use of child soldiers.

Thus far, the UK has relied on its sanctions policy to deal with the RSF militia. For instance, in July 2023, the UK imposed sanctions on several entities associated with the militia, resulting in the freezing of their assets. But still afterwards, the militia continued its attacks and violations against civilians.

The Terrorism Act 2000 defines terrorism as the use of a threat to intimidate the public ot influence the government and to advance a political, religious or ideological cause. The actions of the RSF militia during the war fall precisely within this definition. In recent weeks, the RSF militia has conducted drone strikes against various civilian Infrastructure throughout the country, such as power plants, civilian airports,  oil facilities, Telecom and internet networks, as well as water dams that serve the whole country. The impact of these attacks has been devastating on the lives of citizens.

The impact of proscription will be significant, as it limits the power of the militia by making it unlawful to belong to, profess support for, or invite material support to it. In addition to assets and bank accounts freezing. Moreover, the delegitimization of the militia will cause severe damage to the public image of the militia.

Importantly, UK- based RSF mercenaries recruiting and propaganda networks will be disrupted and blocked from being turned into a financial and military arm to the militia, which, indeed, will pose a serious risk to the safety of the UK itself.

To minimize harm to civilians living under RSF control, any proscription must be carefully paired with clear safeguards that protect the delivery of humanitarian aid, independent journalism, human rights work, and the flow of personal remittances.

It’s time for the UK to move on with this crucial step that would protect the lives of Sudanese and prevent the next genocide from taking place.

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