Sudan: US sanctions brother of paramilitary leader

The United States has sanctioned a senior member of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for "leading efforts" to supply weapons for the 17-month war that has killed more than 20,000 people and ravaged the northeast African country.

Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa controls the United Arab Emirates-based Tradive General Trading LLC, a front company that imported vehicles into Sudan for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and equipped them with machine guns, the U.S. Treasury Department said Tuesday. Algoney is the brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF broke out in April 2023 in the capital, Khartoum, and spread throughout the country.

The Treasury said Algoney's actions directly contributed to the ongoing siege of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, by Sudanese security forces.

“As the United States, the United Nations, the African Union, and others advocate for peace, key individuals on both sides including Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa—continue to obtain weapons to facilitate attacks and other atrocities against their citizens,” said Bradley T. Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

The sanctions against Algoney mean that all of his assets and interests in the United States or controlled by U.S. citizens are blocked and must be reported to the Treasury Department. The sanctions also block all entities he owns directly or indirectly.

Last year, the United States imposed visa restrictions on Sudanese military and RSF officials. At the time, the White House also said it would impose sanctions on major defence companies that the United States says are perpetuating violence in Sudan.

More than 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes. The war has been marked by atrocities, including mass rape and ethnically motivated killings that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the United Nations and international human rights groups.