Three commanders from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces now face U.S. sanctions following their participation in an 18-month assault on the city of al-Fashir, federal officials announced Thursday.
The Treasury Department leveled serious accusations against the RSF, claiming the group conducted what officials described as a brutal campaign involving ethnic-based murders, torture, forced starvation, and sexual assault during their prolonged attack and eventual takeover of al-Fashir.
The city of al-Fashir in Sudan’s Darfur region succumbed to RSF control in October 2025 following the extended siege that resulted in mass casualties.
According to Treasury officials, after securing the city in October, RSF militants intensified their systematic campaign of widespread murders, arbitrary detentions, and sexual assault, with no civilians spared from harm. Federal authorities also allege the organization launched a deliberate effort to conceal evidence of mass murders by burying, incinerating, and disposing of tens of thousands of corpses.
An estimated 100,000 residents evacuated al-Fashir starting in late October once the paramilitary organization assumed control following the 18-month blockade that created famine conditions in the city.
Those who escaped described ethnically-targeted mass executions and widespread imprisonment both during and following the takeover. Numerous individuals remain missing throughout al-Fashir and neighboring regions.
“The United States calls on the Rapid Support Forces to commit to a humanitarian ceasefire immediately. We will not tolerate this ongoing campaign of terror and senseless killing in Sudan,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.
The Treasury Department’s Thursday sanctions include an RSF brigadier general who officials say recorded himself executing defenseless civilians, along with a major general and an RSF field commander.
