On May 15, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated two leaders of the Rapid Support Forces (“RSF”), one of two warring factions responsible for the ongoing fighting in Sudan. According to OFAC, the two opposing military groups in Sudan – the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces – are responsible for endangering the lives of nearly one million Sudanese civilians and impeding their access to humanitarian aid. For their roles in the ongoing conflict, OFAC designated Ali Yagoub Gibril, the RSF Central Darfur commander, and Osman Mohamed Hamid Mohamed, a major general in the RSF and head of the group’s operations.
The designations were imposed pursuant to Executive Order 14098, which sanctions individuals and entities engaged in actions or policies that threaten the peace, security and stability of Sudan or undermine its democratic transition. As a result of these designations, all property and interests in property of the designees within the United States or within the possession or control of a U.S. person are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions involving a designated person. Entities owned 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.