US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have committed genocide in their country's civil war.
Since April 2023, the RSF, led by Gen Mohamed Dagalo, has been engaged in a bitter conflict against the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan.
“The RSF and allied militias have systematically murdered men and boys – even infants – on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls from certain ethnic groups for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence,” said Mr Blinken in a statement.
“Those same militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing life-saving supplies.
“Based on this information, I have now concluded that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan.”
More than 11.5 million people have been displaced by the conflict, according to the UN Refugee Agency. It began in the capital Khartoum and neighbouring city Omdurman and spread to other parts of the country, including the western region of Darfur, which has experienced decades of violence.
It has become one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, with roughly half of the country’s population in need of assistance and protection.
Washington has long called for an end to the conflict and has repeatedly condemned both the RSF and SAF – including determining that both had committed war crimes.
But for the first time, Mr Blinken has determined that the RSF’s actions have gone beyond war crimes and amount to genocide.
In light of the new determination, Washington imposed sanctions on Gen Dagalo “for his role in systematic atrocities committed against the Sudanese people” and also placed sanctions on several companies associated with the RSF.
In October, the US imposed sanctions on Gen Dagalo's younger brother, Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa, a senior leader of the RSF, for his role in procuring weapons for the militia fighting a civil war against the country's army.
He is the subject of sanctions for “arming the RSF and directly contributing to the continuing siege of El Fasher in North Darfur that is putting the lives of hundreds of thousands at risk”, the US Department of State said in a statement.
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Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
