US Sanctions Sudan RSF Commanders Over El-Fasher Siege
The Spin
Pro-SAF narrative
The U.S. sanctions on RSF commanders over atrocities in El-Fasher confirm what the record already shows: an 18-month siege that deliberately starved civilians, blocked humanitarian aid, and culminated in mass killings of Zaghawa and Fur communities constitutes genocidal action, not battlefield excess. Systematic executions, widespread sexual violence, forced displacement, and fighters vowing to eliminate "anything black from Darfur" reflect an organized campaign of ethnic destruction.
Pro-RSF narrative
U.S. sanctions on RSF commanders over El-Fasher mark a diplomatic escalation, as the violence unfolded amid chaotic urban warfare and state collapse rather than a centrally directed genocidal plan. The commander apologized and pledged to punish those who harmed civilians, announcing investigative committees. Labeling the events genocide risks a one-sided reading of a conflict in which the Sudanese Armed Forces also face accusations of systematic attacks on civilians, including women and children killed while gathering water during Ramadan.
