US targets deputy leader of Sudan's RSF over rights abuses

Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/File photo

N'DJAMENA (Reuters) -The United States is imposing sanctions on the deputy leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over human rights abuses, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations announced during a trip to Chad's border with Sudan on Wednesday.

The move to target Abdelrahim Dagalo - brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti - is the highest profile use of sanctions since conflict between the RSF and Sudan's army broke out in mid-April and an apparent response to the dramatic violence seen in West Darfur, which the RSF is accused of perpetrating along with allied militias.