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The Sudanese government has urged the United States to designate the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a terrorist organisation. Sudan’s foreign ministry, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said all groups that violate international humanitarian law and commit terrorism, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the country should be designated as terrorist groups.
“The US should therefore designate the RSF militia as a terrorist group, given its proven crimes and documented violations of international humanitarian law, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and terrorism,” the statement read in part.
The government’s demand comes a day after the US designated the Sudanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, labelling it a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and planning to formalise it as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO) starting March 16, 2026. The United States accused the group of widespread violence and links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The RSF was formed around 2013, evolving from the Janjaweed militias, which were infamous for committing atrocities during the Darfur conflict.
Initially, they were government-backed militias used to fight rebel groups in Darfur and maintain control in conflict regions, but they have now grown into a powerful political and economic actor, controlling resources such as gold mining in Sudan.
The group has also been accused of war crimes and human rights abuses, especially during the Darfur conflict and crackdowns on protests in Khartoum.
A United Nations inquiry found the RSF to have committed acts of genocide in Darfur.
